Sabaku no Momo
by anke-chan
Summary: She saw him for the first time as a child and became interested in him, wanting to be friends... With the desire for friendship blossoming into love... How will she do it? Gaara x OC
1. Memories

**Sabaku no Momo**

(1. Memories)

By Anke-chan

Pairing: Gaara x OC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC

Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D

************Flashback************

_A small girl was walking to the park, minding her own business. She had made a promise with some other children that she would go and play a game with them today. Just as she arrived though, she noticed that they were all debating about how to get the ball off the high wall where they had somehow kicked it on. All of a sudden, the ball came down in the grasp of a golden brown sand, coming to rest in the arms of a red-haired boy. He held the ball out to the other children._

_ Instead of being thankful, as the girl would have thought the other children would be, they all reared back in fright. "Y-You're-!" They all took a few steps back. "I... It's Gaara!" "Gaara of the Sand..." "R... RUN!" All of the children turned in the opposite direction and ran._

_ The small girl watched from where she had stopped as the scene unfolded before her eyes. She watched as the red-haired boy hurt the other children who had been playing just moments before as they attempted to run away in fear. Instead of fleeing though, the dark-haired girl ended up watching it happen, her body glued to the spot. Just as the boy was about to strike out at one of the other children with the sand that always protected him, a blond-haired man intervened, jumping in and shielding the child who lay on the ground._

_ That was when the girl heard the man call out to the red-haired child, "Lord Gaara, please calm yourself!"_

_ "Ungh..." one of the children moaned in pain._

_ The red-haired boy stopped, then, dropped the ball._

_ The blond-haired man had a bleeding cut over his right eye as well as a gash running along his right arm. He said no more as he approached "Gaara" and led him away from the scene._

_ The dark-haired girl was quiet as she stood there, fixated on the spot where Gaara had been standing. There was something about him that had drawn her to him. Something she could not explain. It was strange. Weird. New. She finally turned to look the way they had gone, already having disappeared from view. _Gaara... _The name felt strange being said only in her head and the temptation to hear his name being uttered in her own voice overpowered her._

_ "Gaara..." she whispered to herself. She could not shake the strange, happy feeling that was suddenly brimming in her small chest as she smiled to herself. She wanted to know him..._

************End of Flashback************

Momoko opened her dark brown eyes. That had been the first time ever that she had encountered Gaara. The memory of it all was still clear as crystal glass in her mind. It had not faded with the sands of time, as most memories would. She had replayed the scene over and over to herself for three years. It did not matter though... She could not even approach Gaara. The pain of not knowing him better hurt more deeply that Momoko had thought. She could only immerse herself in her ninja academy schoolwork and await the day she would receive her own _hitai_, her own headband. A headband that would say she was now an adult and a full-fledge _shinobi_. A _kunoichi_ [a female ninja].

But the memory would not leave her be. It had continuously plagued her for the last three years. Three years since that incident... Three years since Sabaku no Gaara had changed drastically. Changed so much to the point where she could not approach him without being killed. Momoko was saddened by that fact. She only wanted to befriend this strangely lonesome boy, a boy who could understand her own loneliness. Momoko's mother had died giving birth to her and her father had died on a mission soon after she was born. She had been alone all her life.

"Momoko, what is the answer?"

Momoko looked up into the eyes of the teacher and answered straight away without batting an eyelash.

"Very good. Next..." The teacher turned his eyes away from Momoko and returned to giving his lesson.

Momoko propped her chin in her hand and glanced out of the window in the deep blue sky, watching the wispy white clouds drift on by. Some things never seemed to change to her. The sky was one of those things. Even though she was looking out of the window, she could still hear the teacher talking. She heard him say, "Tomorrow, we shall have another test to see whether you have all been practicing your shuriken and kunai throwing or not. I have high expectations of you all. Please make sure that you have practiced." All of the students except Momoko groaned in disappointment at that. "Now, now! Enough with that. You are dismissed."

All the students then ran out cheering as Momoko calmly stood up and gathered her things. She saw no point in rushing on home, since there was no one waiting there for her at home.

"Have you practiced, Momoko?"

The girl turned her dark eyes to those of her teacher and nodded. "Yes sir, I have."

The man nodded once in acknowledgement. "I can always count on you to have practiced, Momoko-_san_." [-_san_ is an honorific to address people you do not know well, for those of you who do not know]

The girl managed half of a smile. "Yes sir. Well, I will see you tomorrow." She headed out of the classroom, taking her time as she wove a path down the crowded hallway. All the students made way for her. Momoko walked with her eyes straight ahead. Why did they always have to do that to her? She was just like everyone else... Wasn't she? She left through the main entrance and headed on to the practice area. The girl felt eyes piercing into the back of her head as she headed that way. The girl suppressed the fury she felt and kept walking, not even bothering to glance back once.

The dark-haired girl sat down in front of a shuriken throwing practice post and fell back into her thoughts. She was only nine, but more mature than most of the other children. She saw everything with an analytical eye and although she was always kind and out-going, no one spoke to her… It upset her, but she couldn't do anything much about it at the moment. The girl sighed.

_What am I to those other kids…? Just another kid without parents? I wish someone would at least talk to me… Or…_ Her thoughts fell back on the red-haired boy. She was dying to talk to him! But how could she approach him? She had heard from several villagers that no one could approach Gaara safely… He was considered "unstable." The judgment that they put on Gaara was unfair… But Momoko had no say whatsoever in those matters. She was not even a recognized kunoichi yet!

The girl stood up again and unclipped the small, black pouch bound around her left thigh. "I might as well practice my throwing stars again… No point in thinking over things like change if I don't have a say." Her left hand swiftly flew to her pound where she snagged a shuriken and threw it at the practice post, where it was embedded deeply into the wooden material. "I must have thrown it too hard… Again," Momoko chided herself. If any other person had seen that though, they would not have seen the speed with which the youngster had grabbed her shuriken and flipped her wrist to throw it. She was a talented girl.

Momoko threw more shuriken, running and jumping swiftly around the practice post. Acing the test was no big thing for her; she wasn't concerned about that at all. There was only one thing that was continuously running through her mind: her memories. She was aiming to make her dreams come true… To become a full-fledged shinobi was only one part to the long journey that was waiting for her.

The sun was barely up as a young girl went about her morning exercises. The test was later that day and she wanted to be prepared, even though it wasn't entirely necessary in her case. She completed her set amount of push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and pull-ups with ease. There was only one routine left that she had to complete and she was free to eat breakfast. Momoko pulled on her black sandals and left her small apartment, shutting the steel door behind her and locking it. The girl went to the wall that separated her from a fall onto the ground below, easily jumping over it and landing safely on the ground below. With a light pat of her clothes, she set off and eased into a light jog, the last part of her daily morning routine.

A kind-faced elderly spotted the dark-haired child and called out warmly with a wave, "_Ohayou_, Momoko-_chan_! _Ogenki desuka_?" ["_ohayou_" means good morning, "-_chan_" is an honorific used for children or as an endearment as well as used between girls who are close friends, _ogenki desuka_ means "how are you?"]

Momoko paused momentarily and smiled at the elderly woman, who often regarded her as a granddaughter even though they weren't related. "_Ohayou_, _obaa-san_! I'm doing well! I'm just doing my daily jog. I do have a test at the ninja academy soon! Wouldn't want to strain myself." ["_obaa_-_san_" means "elderly woman" or "grandma"] She laughed lightly at that, with the elderly woman joining her.

"That's a very good idea! Good luck with that, little one," the old woman said, smiling kindly at Momoko.

"Yes, ma'am! I'll see you!" Momoko waved as she continued on her jog again.

By the time Momoko returned to her house, a light sheen of sweat dotted her brow and the sun was finally above the horizon. The girl went into her apartment and quickly washed up and changed out of her sweaty clothes, pulling on a dark red shirt and black knee-length tights. With that done, she set to eating breakfast, which consisted of two slices of toast and a scrambled egg.

When the youngster was done, she left and headed off to the ninja academy, brimming with confidence.

"All right! It's time to take the test and I hope you are all ready for it! Understood? Failure is not a option!" The dark look in the teacher's eyes said that he meant what he had just said. "Stand up and follow me outside." He watched the students stand up before he left the classroom with a clipboard in hand, the students following silently behind him.

When the class massed around the _shuriken_ throwing post, the teacher looked at all of his pupils, regarding them with brooding eyes. Then, he looked at his clipboard and called out the first student who would begin the test that day.

Eventually, it came to Momoko. The others made space for her as she went up to the post and stared at it as she would an enemy, waiting for the teacher's command to start the test.

"_GO_!"

Three _shuriken_ were already imbedded in the wooden post before anyone had realized it. All of the pupils let out a small gasp as they watched their fellow classmate complete her test. They said nothing as the teacher said, "Stop," in a loud voice. His smile was not kind, but it appraised the young girl's skills. "Very good. You'll be a find shinobi yet, Momoko."

The girl gave a small acknowledging nod and went to stand among her peers again. She let out a small breath as the words from her teacher rang in her head, "_You'll be a fine _shinobi_ yet, Momoko_." She couldn't refrain herself from smiling as a few of her peers approached her.

"Mo-Momoko-_san_?" a timid, blond-haired girl whispered.

Momoko turned to look at her and smiled. "Yes?"

The girl gasped in surprise, taking a step back. "U-um… You throw your _shuriken_ wonderfully… Did someone teach you…?"

A dark-green haired boy with shaded hazel eyes cut in, "No way! I bet that she did that all by herself!" He turned his enthusiastic eyes to Momoko. "Name's Hiashi!" He stuck out a hand to her.

"Ah… _Yoroshiku_, Hiashi-_kun_," Momoko greeted, taking Hiashi's hand. ["_yoroshiku_" literally means "please be kind to me"]

"A-ah, um… My name is Haru… I-it's a pleasure to finally talk to you, Momoko-_san_!" The blond-haired girl smiled happily at Momoko, also holding out her hand to Momoko.

Momoko turned to her and took her hand, grasping firmly but shaking gently. "It's nice to meet you, too, Haru-_san_." It looked like things were going to look bright from here on out.

…Even so, Momoko's memories were constantly on her mind, refusing to leave her alone. She knew that she needed to talk to that boy soon… The boy named Sabaku no Gaara.


	2. Mission Time! Part I

**Sabaku no Momo**

(2. Mission Time! Part I)

By Anke-chan

Pairing: Gaara x OC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC

Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D

A/N: I forgot to mention in the last chapter that the title "Sabaku no Momo" means the "Desert's Peach"

"Momoko! Watch out!"

The dark-haired girl jumped out of the way just as a letter bomb exploded. She was breathing heavily as she hid behind a large red-brown boulder. She would have to thank Hiashi later for warning her. Their cell leader really was ruthless, even if she was a woman. Momoko slowed down her breathing, allowing herself to catch her breath before she carefully peeked out from behind the rock's face. Her dark eyes quickly roved over the area, noticing the shy blond-headed Haru under cover as well. Hiashi was nowhere to be seen, as was their cell leader, Amaya.

Momoko made eye contact with Haru and gave hand signals, telling the other girl to watch out for Amaya. Haru nodded in acknowledgement and Momoko turned to the rock face. Channeling her chakra to lightly cover her hands and feet, she climbed up the boulder, keeping herself pressed flat against the rock's surface. It was a hot day and Momoko was ready to finish the training session.

She peeked out over the top and looked around her, trying to find their cell leader without success. Amaya was a talented _kunoichi_ and one of her special talents was that she was good at camouflage. In this training session unfortunately, it was a handy tool against Momoko and her comrades.

It was only by luck that Momoko caught sight of Amaya, who was so well hidden in the shadow of a large pile of red-brown boulders that it would have been hard to see her at all from ground level. From where Momoko was perched, she spotted the telltale dark-green of Hiashi's hair not too far from her position. Their eyes met and Hiashi's told her all she needed to know; he had seen Amaya, too.

Momoko slowly backed down the boulder and jumped down to the ground below, landing without a sound, her black sandals digging lightly into the sand. Standing up, she crept to a spot where she could see Haru and signaled to the large pile of boulders, telling her without words that Amaya was close by.

Haru nodded and carefully turned around in her hiding spot, inching out the other side and emerging from beneath the rock pile she had been hidden underneath, trying to see their cell leader without being caught. The three youngsters were ready to catch their cell leader.

Momoko wordlessly directed her two cellmates to meet her behind the boulder and once they were by her side, she softly whispered a plan to them, "Haru, I want you to go and draw out Amaya-_sensei_. Make sure to attack to kill, okay?" ["-_sensei_" is a term that means "teacher"] The blond girl nodded silently. Momoko turned her brown eyes to Hiashi. "I want you to get at Amaya-_sensei_ from above; catch her by surprise. Make sure to push her towards Haru. I'll come in from behind Amaya-_sensei_." Hiashi nodded in acknowledgement as well. "Okay, break!" The three young _shinobi_ scattered.

Amaya, a beautiful _kunoichi_ with unevenly cut burnt orange hair cascading along a heart-shaped face, sharp chocolate brown eyes and a beautiful slim, curvy figure, stood by, waiting for her three young _shinobi_ to catch her. She had told them to attack her as if they meant to kill her and they had been doing an amazing job so far, only now, she was hidden and waiting.

Suddenly, Amaya was surprised when Haru appeared, standing on top of one of the massive rust-colored boulders. Without a word, Haru flung _shuriken_ at Amaya as she charged towards the older woman, her fingers nimbly reaching into the pouch bound around her thigh to grab more _shuriken_. Amaya deftly dodged all the _shuriken_, although one managed to be close enough to cut a small strand of her already uneven orange hair. The older woman landed on her feet, her eyes focused the determined Haru as another shadow from above jumped down on her open back.

Amaya, sensing the killer aura from behind her, spun around, her hand pulling out a _kunai_ which she used to deflect Hiashi's own _kunai_ away before it cut her. She turned and ran from the cramped space, jumping up and over Haru, even though Haru quickly jumped back, not willing to allow her teacher to escape as Hiashi landed and jumped after his teacher. Amaya, caught between her two students, stood glancing at them both with approving eyes. Now, there was only one of her students left… Amaya smiled at her students, her lips parting to ask, "So where is Momoko now?"

Amaya immediately noticed how Haru and Hiashi relaxed the tiniest bit before she spun around and locked her _kunai_ with that of Momoko's. The woman dug her black heels into the ground as the full force of Momoko's attack followed behind the girl, pushing back the woman a few feet before they were left standing and struggling to overpower the other. Amaya smiled approvingly at Momoko, although her arched brows were furrowed with effort. Finally, she managed to push Momoko back and slashed forward with her _kunai_, which the younger girl managed to dodge by jumping and flipping back. Amaya nodded at her students. "Well done. You caught me. Good work. You're teamwork has improved since the first time."

Haru smiled, reverting to her shy self. "Y-yes, Amaya-_sensei_!" She scuffed the toe of her sandal against the ground timidly.

Hiashi grinned from ear to ear. "It was because of Momoko that we were able to catch you, Amaya-_sensei_~! She's awesome, you know!" He turned his kind eyes to appraise Momoko, but the girl's eyes were focused on Amaya.

"You held back, Amaya-_sensei_," Momoko commented.

"But of course. Did you want me to go all out on you? That would have been bad, you know," Amaya replied.

Momoko smiled slightly. "I'll get you to go all out one day, won't I?"

Amaya laughed. "Maybe when you reach _chunin_, I shall consider it, Momoko. For now, shall we call it a day?" No matter how ruthless Amaya was, she looked out for her students and comrades on or off the battlefield.

Haru and Hiashi nodded eagerly. "YES~!" They chirped together happily. They dashed off to get their packs of supplies.

Momoko smiled as she looked after her two cellmates, then, turned her head to look at Amaya. "I'll go get my pack, too, Amaya-_sensei_." She turned to go, but Amaya's voice stopped her.

"Momoko, your determination will take you far, you know?"

Momoko stopped, then turned to look at the older woman. "I've heard many people tell me that. Thank you, Amaya-_sensei_." She bowed respectfully, then turned to go, but Amaya speaking stopped her again.

"I do not just mean it so casually, Momoko. The fact that you took on the role of directing your cell members is impressive. You acted quickly and that can save you in a life or death situation. This is a good skill to have." Amaya said, her usually light voice serious.

"I mean it, too, _sensei_. Thank you," Momoko smiled.

Amaya went to the younger girl's side. "I am sure that you and your comrades will be ready to take on the _chunin_ exam soon. It will be taking place in Konohagakure soon." She walked a few steps ahead, looking back at the younger girl. "Walk with me, Momoko."

"Yes, _sensei_," Momoko responded, quickly going to her teacher's side. "And the _chunin_ exams? I appreciate the fact that you find us prepared… But we've barely just started being _genin_. Besides that, we've only been a cell for about two months, which isn't enough time for us to have bonded…" She still remembered the first day they had been chosen to be a cell two months ago…

_*************Flashback*************_

**"So the three of us will be in a cell together, huh!" Hiashi excited exclaimed, smiling happily at the two girls.**

** Haru blushed, fiddling uneasily with her fingers. "I-I'm not all that great though, so um… I'm sorry if I get in the way…"**

** Momoko laughed at Hiashi's exclaimation, but turned her attention to Haru. "Don't say that, Haru! You'll do amazing! Besides, we can look out for each other! Right? Don't you think so, Hiashi?" She turned her brown eyes to look at Hiashi.**

** Hiashi laughed heartily. "Got that right! I got your backs and you got mine! We'll definitely look out for each other!" He gave Haru a thumbs up.**

** Haru smiled thankfully at her two teammates. "T-thank you both… I hope I learn much from the both of you!" She smiled, her eyes lighting up happily as she looked at her comrades. She turned to Momoko, looking at the girl intently. "Please teach me everything, Momoko-_san_! I look forward to working with you!" She took Momoko's hand enthusiastically.**

** The dark-haired girl was just about to respond when a woman appeared, cutting off Momoko's reply with a curt, "Have you introduced yourselves to one another yet? Good. I am Machida Amaya and I will be your guide and teacher. Follow me."**

** With wondering looks pasted on each of the three youngsters' aces, they followed the older woman out of the classroom. They had been the last cell.**

** The woman, Amaya, had led the three young _shinobi_ to a secluded training area, where she stopped and turned to face her young cell, who had come to a stop in front of her. "We'll be conducting a training session here. I've seen all of your reports, but I want to see with my own eyes your skills and abilities." The three nodded numbly. "You'll attack me in any way possible, trying to take away these from me," she showed them a pair of shiny ebony chopsticks, which she then used to pin her hair up. "Attack me as if you mean to kill me. When I say 'go', we shall begin. …GO!"**

** Haru and Hiashi jumped at Amaya, _kunai_ brandished to cut the older woman. Momoko looked at a lost for words as she watched her two cellmates try to attack the woman. Each strike they aimed at the woman seemed to be flicked aside without so much as the bat of an eyelash from the older woman. Momoko quietly but quickly followed along with the fight, watching both the movements of Amaya and her cellmates. Then, she jumped in.**

** The dark-haired girl lunged forward, kicking for Amaya's feet, which was deflected as Amaya pushed her other two cellmates away and grabbed Momoko's foot, stopping her in midair. Momoko, reared back and brought her arm forward, her fingers clenched into a fist, but Amaya caught that as well. With her free hand, Momoko motioned to her cellmates, who quickly jumped in, their hands outstretched and reaching for the ebony chopsticks that held back the woman's orange hair.**

** Quickly noticing the situation, Amaya let go of Momoko and jumped back just as Haru and Hiashi's hands closed around the empty space where the chopsticks would have been a moment before. Hiashi landed for nothing but a moment before he jumped back at Amaya. Haru hung back, afraid now, having sensed the powerful presence that lay hidden behind Amaya's calm exterior.**

** The dark haired girl looked at Haru, her dark eyes questioningly whether the other girl was going to continue or not; the blond-haired girl shook her head in fright and backed off.**

** Amaya noticed this and called out, "Enough!" Hiashi skidded to a halt, looking over his shoulder at the other two girls. Amaya approached Haru and her eyes were not so kind. "What is this? Are you quitting now? Do you want to have to watch your comrades die? Is that it?"**

** The sharp seriousness in her voice brought tears to Haru's magenta eyes. "N-no…! T-that's not-!" she began weakly, trying to refrain from crying.**

** Momoko stepped in, moving to shield Haru behind her. "Please stop, Amaya-_sensei_. This is Haru's first time and she wasn't sure what to do. I'll help teach her."**

** Amaya sneered. "Is she so weak that she needs you to protect her?"**

** At this point, Hiashi jumped in. "No! Haru is not weak! Yes, she's shy, but both Momoko and I know that she's strong! You haven't seen anything just yet!"**

** Haru smiled tearfully but appreciatively at her friends.**

** Amaya was silent as she looked over the three of her students. "Your bonds seem to be very strong, even though I have a feeling you haven't know one another that long…" The woman was quiet, then, she smiled approvingly. "That's the first step in growing stronger: trusting your comrades. Let's get to work on the rest of your skills."**

_*************End of Flashback*************_

Amaya shook her head in disagreement. "I very much disagree with you, Momoko. You told me how long you three have been friends. Two years is a very long time. You could have been full-fledged _chunin_ by now."

Momoko sensed that the last part had been directed more towards her than the others. "I appreciate the kind thought, Amaya-_sensei_… But I would like to become a _chunin_ with my friends. They aren't holding me back." A memory of a red-headed boy flashed by in her mind.

"I understand. I still believe that the three of you are ready to go through the _chuunin_ exams though," Amaya said. The teacher and student heard the shouting of the other two and Amaya sighed, although she was smiling. "I better go and check on those two."

Momoko laughed, but nodded. "Yes. I'll catch up."

Amaya started ahead, but then paused, glancing back at Momoko. "A smile suits you much more than a serious face, Momoko. It makes you shine." With that, she ran off to find her other two pupils.

Momoko was surprised by her teacher's compliment. "A smile… Suits me more…?" she whispered to herself. She tucked back a few strands of her black hair behind her ear. Her thoughts pulled an old memory back to her, one of a sad faced boy whom she had seen what seemed so long ago… "Gaara…" She couldn't help but whisper her name. She closed her eyes a moment, then opened them and ran to catch up with the rest of her cell.

The next morning, after all her daily warm-ups and breakfast, Momoko went to meet up with her cell in the mission office. The girl arrived at the door just as Hiashi arrived, looking flustered.

"Are you okay, Hiashi-_kun_?" Momoko asked worriedly, taking note of Hiashi's reddened cheeks.

Hiashi laughed, like he always did. "Haha, yeah! I'm perfectly fine! I just decided to jog here this morning so I might seem a bit flustered." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "So how about you? How are you feeling today?"

Momoko returned a kind smile. "I'm doing well. I did my usual warm-ups and had breakfast before I got here. Did you remember to eat breakfast this time?" She looked at Hiashi with a questioning eye.

"Of course!" Hiashi laughed. "Well, let's go in before Amaya-_sensei_ yells at us for being late. Haha!" He reached forward and turned the bronze knob, pulling open the door and holding it open for Momoko. "Ladies first," Hiaishi said, smiling.

Momoko laughed and went first, thanking the boy on the way in.

The two quickly went to the office and found that Amaya and Haru were already there, waiting for them.

"Where were you two? I was just about to send Haru out to find you," Amaya commented.

"_Gomen na sai_, Amaya-_sensei_. We didn't mean to be late," Momoko apologized, bowing slightly to the older woman. ["_gomen na sai_" means "I'm sorry"]

Amaya sighed, but smiled. "At least you two are here now. The _Kazekage_-_sama_ will be giving us our mission now." She turned her attention to the serious-faced man who sat at the table, garbed in a white and blue robe. [-_sama_ is an honorific used for a person of high rank]

The _Kazekage_ didn't smile as he spoke, "Your mission will be to go and find the heirloom of Yamada Korin. She says she probably dropped it somewhere on her way home from her trip to Tanigakure. Search along there. Here is a picture that she left to show what the heirloom looks like." The _Kazekage_ handed them a color photo of a pretty young woman wearing a necklace. "The necklace she is wearing is the heirloom. You may go now."

"Thank you, _Kazekage_-_sama_," Amaya said, taking the picture from the _Kazekage_, her smile gone and her approach business-like. She turned to her pupils. "Let's go and get ready. Meet at the village gates in an hour. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The three all said in unison before they left.

As Amaya held the door open, Haru and Hiashi walked out, Momoko following behind them. As she passed the door's threshold, she saw a flash of black and red walk past her and she thought her heart stopped as she looked back over her shoulder. Was it…? Could it be…? It was. It was Sabaku no Gaara. Momoko paused a moment in the doorway, staring at Gaara's back. She held back a gasp of surprise when he turned to glare at her, his sea green eyes cold.

"Do you want to die?" He murmured coldly.

His expression, his voice, his eyes… They were all cold. As cold as death… Yet Momoko didn't flinch away.

She did look away so as not to offend Gaara further and left the room just as Gaara's older brother and sister entered the room. Momoko looked at the three of them, the Sand Siblings, as they had come to be known as. She didn't know what to feel… The only thing that she could feel was how cold she felt at the memory of Gaara's icy glare.

Then, the door closed and Amaya approached her, stopping to look at the young girl's face questioningly. "Momoko? Are you all right?" She glanced back at the closed door, then turned her eyes back to Momoko. "He won't hurt you, don't worry. Let's go. We need to get ready for our mission." Amaya waited for Momoko.

Momoko numbly nodded her head and turned away, heading out of the office and back to her place. Only one thought crossed her mind as she packed her things: This was going to be harder than she had thought.

**~TBC~**

**A/N: Gaah! How intense, huh? And wow! NINE pages…! I had a total writing frenzy today… I hoped you enjoyed! R&R please and thank you~! :D**


	3. Mission Time! Part II

**Sabaku no Momo**

(3. Mission Time! Part II)

By Anke-chan

Pairing: Gaara x OC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC

Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D

A/N: Please R&R! :D

An hour later, Momoko was standing in front of the village gates that led out to Tanigakure and Konohagakure. She lightly scuffed her sandal against the sandy ground as she waited patiently for the rest of her cell to arrive. As she waited though, the memory of Gaara's cold eyes came back to her. She winced, as if the memory had burned her although that wasn't the case at all. She hugged herself, fighting back her frustration. How in the world was she supposed to approach him when he was that dangerous! She couldn't do it… Not two years ago when she was all by herself, not five years ago when she had first met him and definitely not now! Some would consider it suicide… She wanted to talk to him… But how could she…?

"Momoko~!" A hand slapping her shoulder shook her out of her thoughts and she turned to face the newcomer.

"Oh, Hiashi-_kun_! I didn't realize you were there. I'm sorry," Momoko said apologetically, blushing faintly as she tucked back her hair. She smiled uncertainly.

Hiashi laughed. "It's no problem! I'm not offended or anything so I don't get why you're so worried. Haha!"

Momoko's uncertain smile became a more cheerful one. Nothing could ever dampen Hiashi's spirits. She was glad to have a friend like him around. She nodded and replied, "Ah, okay. I thought I had offended you. Again-"

"Don't start! I mean, you're always so polite! Haha! You've always been polite, ever since we first met two years ago. Come on! Why can't you be casual with Haru and me? We've been good friends for the past two years, right?" Hiashi said, cutting Momoko off in the middle of her sentence.

The dark-haired girl smiled, tugging on the edge of her dark red shirt uncertainly. "Y-yeah, you're right… It's just… I don't really know how to talk with kids my own age… I talk so formally with you and Haru all the time… I'm more used to talking with adults, I guess… I mean, you and Haru were actually my first real friends."

The green-haired boy looked at Momoko with kind eyes. "I understand. The whole 'having no parents' thing, huh? I find that annoying. Why can't we all just get along no matter what our personal lives may be like?" The boy heaved a sigh.

Momoko was shocked. She had never gotten into these kinds of conversations with either Hiashi or Haru before and to hear Hiashi say that was a surprise to her. "You really think that, Hiashi-_kun_?"

The boy nodded. "Of course. I think it just depends on how the person you want to befriend feels. I could always sense that you wanted friends, but I couldn't find the right time to approach you… But hey, at least we're friends now, right?" He flashed Momoko a smile.

Momoko returned the smile. "Haha, yeah." She turned her eyes away, trying not to betray her feelings as she asked, "Hey, Hiashi-_kun_… What do you think of Sabaku no Gaara?"

"Huh? Sabaku no Gaara? Hm…" Hiashi pondered in thought for a moment, then, he murmured, "I wouldn't mind getting to know the guy… But he just emits that deathly aura that keeps people at a distance. So I doubt I'll ever get to know him… My parents always tell me to stay away from him though."

"I see…" was Momoko's only response. She kept her eyes turned away. "You know… I feel the same way that you do… I mean… Why should we have to keep our distance from people when we need one another to survive? Why isolate others? Some people only do that because they think that it gives them power over others. All I think that does is hurt people. It doesn't do anything but that…"

Hiashi looked at Momoko thoughtfully. "That's true. Well," his smile became warmer. "At least I've found someone who agrees with me." He held out his hand to her. "Right?"

Momoko turned to look at the green-haired boy, smiling. "Yeah," she said as she took his hand.

Just then, Amaya and Haru arrived. Hiashi blushed as he pulled his hand back from Momoko's and held onto his backpack strap.

"Hmm? What was that I just saw?" Amaya asked in a teasing tone.

Momoko smiled. "Our friendship just deepening after a nice conversation."

Amaya smiled in return, her chocolate brown eyes lighting up. "I see. That's very good that you're deepening your bonds. It will definitely help you out later on. All righty, well, let's head out now that we're all here!" The orange-haired woman gaily strode out through the village gates, her pupils on her heels.

Haru looked at Momoko, smiling. "So what were you two talking about before Amaya-_sensei_ and I got here?"

"We were talking about how it's wrong for people to exclude other people just because of what may have happened in their personal lives, say their parents dying or being an experiment for the village," Momoko replied.

Haru's eyes glazed over with fright for but a moment and then it was gone. "A-an experiment for… The village, h-huh?" Her voice trembled uneasily as her thoughts flashed to Sabaku no Gaara, the failed experiment of Sunagakure. "Like… Sabaku no Ga-Gaara?" Even saying her name brought fright rearing into her heart.

Momoko nodded. "Yeah… Like Gaara…" Her heart ached in pain at the thoughts of Gaara's loneliness… She understood how he felt.

"Come on, you slow pokes! Let's get a move on!" Amaya called out to her two female pupils, her male pupil standing by her side.

"Coming!" both girls called out in unison, running to catch up.

Once they were all together, they jumped off into the desert, their destination to head onto the path to Tanigakure.

It had been approximately three and half hours after they had left Sunagakure that Momoko noticed strange tracks.

"Wait! _Sensei_! Look at this!" Momoko shouted to her teacher, stopping them in their tracks as she stopped to bend down and examine some tracks that had been left in the sand. She noticed an imprint that looked like something had been picked up by human hands. "Could this spot be where Yamada Korin dropped her heirloom?"

Amaya came closer and crouched beside Momoko to examine the imprint that was left behind. The older woman's long fingertips touched the sand as she gave a "Hmm" in thought. Then, she murmured, "I think it might have been bandits that picked it up… This is close to their area, too… We should pick up the trail and everyone must be careful from here on out. Is that understood?"

The three youngsters nodded knowingly.

"All right, let's go on." The cell righted themselves and continued on in silence, their senses on full alert.

Half an hour later, Amaya stopped, holding her hand up to stop her pupils. She glanced at the three younger children and motioned for Hiashi and Momoko to hide in the outcropping of rocks that stood to their right as she and Haru hid in the dark, black shadow of another pile of rocks. As soon as they were hidden, three tall, buff men arrived. They were laughing loudly and throwing jokes around.

"…and then that pathetic idiot fell on top of himself!" one of the men, a dark-haired, deeply tanned, black eyed man laughed, telling the other two about his encounter with some poor unfortunate person.

The other two laughed and the man with red hair and blotchy, burned-red-from-the-sun skin said, "Hey, Toshi, ya got that thing I picked up yesterday? That necklace?"

At the word "necklace", Momoko's heart began to race. They had found their culprit so easily! She forced herself to calm down though and began to wonder to herself. This had been too easy… Something felt off about this…

The third man, a navy-haired, icy blue eyed man smirked deviously. "Looks like we got our little rabbits, boys."

Just as he said that, Amaya and Haru gave a surprised cry as they were ensnared in a net, which had been launched from a hidden mechanism in the rock face that now held the two girls trapped to the opposite rock wall.

"A-are you all right, Haru?" Amaya gasped. _D-damn it! How could I have not foreseen that!_

Haru struggled to hold back tears of fright as she stuttered, "I-I t-think s-s-so…" She sniffled. "W-what a-a-about y-you, Amaya-_sensei_…?"

Amaya gave a grimacing smile. "I'm fine as long as you are."

The red haired man whistled as he caught sight of Amaya. "A pretty _kunoichi_ was sent after us? Man, we must be lucky. And what's this?" He saw Haru. "The beautiful _kunoichi_ brought a little brat with her. It must be her cell. HA! A cell of little _genin _who can be crushed in the palm of my hand! Hahahahaha!" He laughed as his other two partners crowded around him to see Amaya and Haru.

The dark-haired man smirked. "Did you think we didn't sense you and your little squad of rascals? You can't escape now, bitch."

The navy-haired man looked around, his icy eyes scrutinizing the surrounding eye with a critical eye. "There are only two of them. Where are the other two that is supposed to make up their four-man cell…?" He took a few steps closer to the other outcropping of rocks.

Momoko gritted her teeth angrily as the three men talked, laughing. She caught her breath as the navy-haired man approached though. Her partner was just about to rush out there to the rescue, but the dark-haired girl caught his arm, shaking her head. They needed to keep themselves from being captured; it was the only way they would ever save their fellow cellmates. The two slunk away without being detected just as the navy-haired man popped into the space where they had been hiding moments before.

"Hm…" The navy-haired man looked at the other two. "Toshi! Ken! Get those two down from there and let's head back to our hide-out. The other two probably abandoned their teammates to save themselves."

"_Ryoukai_!" Toshi and Ken called in response. [_ryoukai_ literally means "understood"] The two men approached Amaya and Haru.

"Now look here, beautiful, you do anything suspicious, the little brat dies. Got that straight?" Toshi, the dark-haired man, sneered at Amaya. He untangled the net and grabbed Haru's arms, pulling her down next to him and holding a _kunai_ to her throat. Haru struggled not to emit a single sound.

Amaya's brows furrowed in frustration, but she nodded. "Fine. But you touch one hair on her head though, I swear that you'll regret it with your life."

Ken laughed as he pulled Amaya down, his hand inappropriately brushing past her butt. He licked his lips. "If we didn't these little brats, we'd show you who was boss, beautiful."

Amaya glared at Ken over her shoulder. "You'll definitely regret that later, you disgusting pervert."

The navy-haired man, who was by now the apparent leader, turned to look at his subordinates. His icy eyes quickly fell upon Amaya. "What Hidden Village are you from, woman?"

"Tch, I've no obligation to answer to a person whose name I don't even know. So I see no point in doing so," Amaya answered, her tone indifferent.

The man smacked her across the face. "You'll tell us once we catch your other two little brats. I know you wouldn't just stand by and watch them get tortured if you can answer my questions." He turned his eyes to Toshi and Ken. "Let's head back. The other two will come themselves eventually." He stalked off in the direction that they had come from, Toshi and Ken trailing behind him with their captives.

**-Meanwhile…**

"Momoko! Why did we just run off on Amaya-_sensei_ and Haru! We should have helped them!" Hiashi exclaimed at Momoko as they headed back to the road they had just left.

Momoko turned her dark eyes to Hiashi. "Hiashi-_kun_… If we were caught, who would save us then? They would kill us. I thought you would have figured that out by now."

Hiashi was slightly stunned by the seriousness in Momoko's eyes. He had never seen her this serious before. It was a first. He found his voice with difficulty as he responded to her statement, "W-well… I guess you're right… But how are we supposed to find them now? I mean, they're gone." He gestured to the now empty road.

Momoko crouched down and inspected the ground. Nothing had disrupted the footprints that had been left in the soft sand. "Obvious. Nothing had bothered the footprints, so we can just follow those. But I doubt that we'll be able to rescue Haru and Amaya-_sensei_ that easily… Hm…" Momoko's serious eyes turned thoughtful as she stood up, dusting off her clothes. "Come on, Hiashi-_kun_. Let's go. I'll tell you the plan along the way."

The boy wasn't too surprised to hear the girl say that, quickly following her down the path towards the bandits' lair as she told him her plan…

**-In the bandits' lair…**

Amaya and her pupil's hands had been bound behind their backs and they had been forced to kneel next to each other. Amaya glanced at her young pupil and noticed the increasing amount of water in the girl's eyes.

"Shh, it's going to be okay, Haru," Amaya whispered, trying to reassure the young girl and allay her fears.

Haru nodded fiercely although her eyes were turned towards the ground. "I-I know…! B-but Momoko-_chan_…! And Hiashi-_kun_…! W-will they…?" She turned her eyes to her teacher. "Will they be okay…?"

Amaya smiled softly at her pupil. "They will be. Momoko is a bright girl and she'll definitely help us. Hiashi-_kun_ is also there to help aid Momoko and he's also a very promising _shinobi_ so don't worry, Haru."

Haru sniffled. "I-I'm so sorry, Amaya-_sensei_…! I should have been able to detect that trap… I-I-I…"

"Hey, it's fine. We learn from our mistakes so don't be upset, Haru. Got it?" Amaya chided, not wanting her pupil to beat herself up anymore than she already had.

Ken appeared, Toshi trailing along behind him with two others. "So, how are you two liking it here in our lair? Pretty cozy, eh?" He flashed a sarcastic smile at the two females.

"It's as comfortable as being at home," Amaya replied, her tone of voice dripping with sarcasm.

Toshi walked closer to Amaya and crouched down in front of her. He grabbed a clump of her hair and held her face closer to his. "I wouldn't push your luck anymore that it's already pushed, woman." He harshly let go of Amaya's hair. "It's only because of our boss's good graces that you're even still alive at all." He stood up and took a few steps back from the two prisoners.

"Ah, so this is the woman and squirt that you guys found earlier… So where they from? They from Konohagakure or something?" the unidentified blond-haired man asked, scrutinizing Amaya and Haru with curious green eyes.

The other man that had come in, a man with long, choppy dark brown hair and sharp hazel eyes, said nothing. He merely stared at Amaya and Haru in silence, his arms crossed across his muscular chest that could be seen through his gray hakama top.

Amaya herself quietly observed the three men. Along with the navy-man, they wouldn't be much of a challenge… But she couldn't risk taking any chances by underestimating her opponents.

"Nah, they're Suna _shinobi_. Weren't all that much of a challenge to capture, actually," Ken replied, answering the blond rogue.

He turned serious. "_Sunagakure_? The village that has that monster, Gaara?" His eyes were hard as he stared at Ken. "You said that there were two others, Ken? Two who escaped?"

Ken nodded. "Yeah, what of it, Ryou?"

"You know what would happen if they chose to send that monster? We'd be dead, that's what. So why didn't you guys go after the other two? Why let them escape?" Ryou stated, his voice cold with seriousness.

The red-haired rogue shrugged indifferently. "I don't know… It didn't seem worth it… Besides, I'm figuring that those other two little brats will come to save their precious teacher and little friend here."

"Who is already here," a voice stated.

"W-what!"

The four men whirled around to find themselves facing a dark-haired girl, her stance strong and her eyes determined.

"Momoko-_chan_!" Haru exclaimed, unable to hide her happiness at seeing her friend coming to save them. Amaya let out a sigh of relief to know that her student was doing well under the circumstances at hand.

"You think you can take us all on, a puny little girl like you?" Ken snickered, his eyes sizing up Momoko.

Momoko smiled. "Of course. I'm more than a match for you thugs." Her voice exuded confidence and that irked Toshi.

"Your chances aren't that good at all, girly. I don't even expect much of a fight from you at all. You got nothin' on us," Toshi growled in irritation. He wanted to squash the confidence that Momoko was exuding and he would.

Momoko shrugged indifferently. "If you say so."

"Got'cha!" The blond-haired man came up from behind Momoko, his arms wrapping around her form.

A sly smile played across Momoko's face before she vanished in a poof of smoke, making Ryou cough.

"D-damn it you brat! Augh!" Ryou coughed, covering his mouth with his elbow.

"I'm right here. You missed," Momoko smiled, standing near the farther left wall, her dark eyes dancing playfully.

"W-what is this! Art of the Shadow Doppelganger! No way a kid could know that move! Who are you!" Ken exclaimed.

Toshi jumped at Momoko, his kunai bared and aimed at Momoko. "TEME!" ["_Teme!_" is another way to say "You!", although it is a rude way to say it.]

Momoko danced out of his range as soon as he was close enough, throwing her _shuriken_ at the dark-haired man as she ducked underneath Ryou's attack at the same time.

Toshi managed to dodge all but one of Momoko's _shuriken_, which lodged itself, unseen, into his bicep. "ARRRGGH!" Toshi cried as the metal buried itself in his tanned skin. He had not seen that one and he silently cursed himself as he pulled the _shuriken_ out, throwing it aside to cover his bleeding wound. "I'm going to get you, you little brat!"

Momoko was too busy dodging Ryou and Ken's attacks to hear Toshi's threat. She slipped underneath Ken's slash and twisted to the side as Ryou threw _shuriken_ in her direction. This was nothing to the girl.

Toshi quickly jumped into the fray, intent on crushing the young girl as another shadow slipped past and headed to the two prisoners.

"I got you," Hiashi whispered as he cut Amaya's bonds, moving to cut Haru's bonds a moment later.

"Hi-Hiashi-_kun_!" Haru whispered happily. "You guys came to save us!"

Hiashi smiled. "Stating the obvious, Haru. Why wouldn't I come to save you two? Besides, this is Momoko's plan anyway. Working, huh?" His eyes were dancing with excitement. "Come on! Let's go and help Momoko out!" He turned to jump into the fray, but Amaya stopped him.

"No. You and Haru get out of here. I'll help Momoko get out of here, too. You three are no match for this butch. Is that understood?" Amaya stated instead.

Hiashi's eyes became furious as he retorted, "No! She's my teammate and I won't let her down!" He pulled his arm away from Amaya and tried to jump in again, but again, Amaya stopped him.

Their teacher'e eyes were hooded with anger as she looked at her pupil. "Do you want Momoko to get killed? Go. Now." Before Hiashi could argue further, Amaya jumped into the battle, deflecting a blow from Toshi that had been aimed at Momoko's back. "No body hurts my student! Particularly you!" She shoved the older man back and jumped at him, her _kunai_ aimed at his throat.

"_Ara_? What's this? The other brat came and released you? Hmph, fine with me!" Toshi hissed, blocking Amaya's attack with his own _kunai_. ["_Ara_" literally means "Oh"]

Amaya and Toshi's exchange of blows was nothing but a flurry of ruby sparks and swift movements. They jumped in and back then clashed again. Amaya twisted Toshi's wrist aside and twisted her body around to connect her fist to the man's cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground for but a moment before he sprung to his feet. He spat at the ground, tasting hot iron in his mouth as he glared murderously at the woman, his hand going to wipe his lips.

"You bitch. I'll teach you!" He leapt at Amaya, throwing several _shuriken_ as he pulled out another two _kunai_. Amaya deflected all the _shuriken_ with ease, pulling out another _kunai_ and meeting the man's direct attack head-on, digging her heels into the ground as the force behind the man's attack came pushing behind him.

"You think you can defeat me?" Amaya muttered, her voice strained as she held Toshi back with her two _kunai_.

Toshi smirked. "Of course. Who do you think I am, woman?"

"Well then… I got you," Amaya murmured, her smile sliding away into a pile of dirt, leaving the man stunned for a moment in wonder. He froze up, gurgling as Amaya stepped aside from behind him, one of her _kunai_ lodged into his back. "I told you; I got you, Toshi."

Toshi continued gurgling, then, fell onto his knees before falling into a sprawl onto the ground. He was dead.

Ken and Ryou stopped attacking the girl, stunned to see their comrade fallen. "N-no way!"

Amaya turned to look at the other two men. "Back off and let us leave or you can all die along with your friend here." She gestured to the fallen man on the ground behind her.

Ken was furious. "You bitch!" He charged her. "DIE!"

"STOP."

Ken skidded to a halt, turning at the voice. "B-but! BOSS! That bitch killed Toshi! We should kill them now!"

A flash of dark red flew past Ken, cutting his arm before they landed. Momoko swung herself around to face Ken, her eyes menacing. "You hurt my teacher, I'll end you."

"Hm, so this is the little brat that is causing you so much trouble?" The navy-haired man came closer, his eyes looking Momoko over. "Hm… You will be a fine _shinobi_ yet, girl. What is your name?"

Momoko was wary a moment, but answered, "Momoko. Who might you be? All I know is that you're the leader of his sorry bunch." She gestured to Ken and Ryou.

"What!" they snapped together in unison. "'Sorry bunch'! Who's the sorry bunch!"

"Silence, Ken. Ryou. You let the words of a young girl affect you? And you consider yourselves part of my crew?" The navy-haired man eyed his subordinates with menacing eyes. Ken and Ryou gulped, but backed off. The unnamed man turned his eyes back to Momoko. "The name is Kane."

"Kane? You are well-named," Momoko commented.

A corner of Kane's mouth turned up in the smallest of smiles, but he composed himself. "You have spilled the blood of one of my crew. That is unacceptable." He settled into a battle stance. "It was good to meet you, Momoko, but I cannot let you leave here without someone paying for the life of Toshi. Ken, Ryou." The other two settled into battle stances. "Take care of the girl. The woman is mine." He charged at Amaya, his foot swinging down on Amaya as the other two men encroached upon Momoko. "You, woman. I know you. You're Amaya of Sunagakure, the mysterious chameleon assassin they're so proud of. Am I correct? You're name on the battlefield would be Chameleon now, right?"

Amaya smiled. "You're right. And you… I should have known. The Roaring Spear that struck fear into our foes. You were once part of Sunagakure yet you left. I wonder why?"

"Heh, I saw that I would go no where there… So what was there for me to gain there?" Kane smirked as they exchanged blows.

"There was more to gain if you had stayed… But now, I shall just kill you and seal our secrets with your death. Toriyaaa!" Amaya jumped into the air and spun her body around, swinging her foot to connect with Kane's chest.

As their teacher fought, Momoko was locked in a battle of her own with Ken and Ryou, who mercilessly bombarded her with attacks. Momoko quickly wove hand signs and created another doppelganger, meeting her look alike back to back as Ken and Ryou, who had gotten her from both the front and back, smashed their weapons against hers. She cringed at the power in their attacks. "Nngh…"

"Momoko!" Hiashi and Haru jumped in to save their friend.

They jumped at Ryou, making him back away from the dark-haired girl to face these new adversaries. The man ducked _shuriken_ that Hiashi had thrown and moved his foot to avoid Haru's low kick. Ryou kicked Haru's feet out from under her, knocking her onto the ground. He wasn't able to deal her a fatal blow before Hiashi was on him, making him back away from the fallen girl, who was struggling to her feet.

Momoko was left to face the red-headed man on her own, her doppelganger standing beside her. She was silent as she stared at her opponent.

Ken sneered as he wove hand signs. "_Suiton_: _Suigadan_!" He expelled a water bullet from his mouth, which rushed at Momoko.

Momoko dodged in time, although her doppelganger was struck by the attack, making it disappear in a cloud of smoke. Momoko gritted her teeth. She didn't want to use the new jutsu that she had been working on; it wasn't ready yet. She wove another set of hand signs. "_Kage bunshin no Jutsu_!" Another two doppelgangers appeared.

"That's your best! You're a beginner compared to me, girly!" Ken sneered, shooting out another water bullet.

Momoko dodged, skidding to the side before she launched herself at Ken, her hands flinging _shuriken_ at the man, her doppelgangers following her lead and adding their own _shuriken_.

Ken jumped out of the way as the many _shuriken_ clattered against the rock wall behind him uselessly. He landed and swung his body around, kicking Momoko in her midsection, sending her crashing to the ground. Ken sauntered over to the stunned girl, watching as the girl coughed up blood. "I told you already, girly. You can't beat me." He moved to strike the fatal blow, but froze in his tracks, a silver blade protruding from his chest. "W-what…?" he gasped, turning around in slow, jerky movements to see his killer. It was the silent man who had disappeared during the battle but had now reappeared. "Izo! Y-you…! Traitor…!" Ken collapsed, his eyes glazing over as blood trickled out of his mouth.

Izo pulled his sword from the dead man's chest, swiping it aside to cast off the blood before he re-sheathed it. He grabbed Momoko's arm and pulled her to her feet. "Are you okay?" The man's voice was husky and rough, but not unkind.

Momoko nodded, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. "Who are you…? Why did you…?" She turned to find that Ryou, too, was dead. "Why did you help us?"

Izo turned his eyes to the battle between Amaya and Kane. "My name is Kuroda Izo. I'm a _jonin_ from Sunagakure. I was sent here by my superiors to act as a spy. Eradicating this group was supposed to be my job." He pulled a dark bundle from inside his shirt and unfurled a _Sunagakure_ headband, binding it around his forehead to hold back his long, brown hair.

"W-what a coincidence," Momoko commented weakly. This turn of events had not been unexpected.

"Have you ever seen your teacher fight before?" Izo glanced at Momoko, who shook her head. "Then see how fearsome she is. Watch her fight."

Momoko turned her eyes to watch the fight that was ensuing before her. A fight to the death where her teacher would either win or die. She watched the movements that her teacher made, memorizing them in her brain as she watched.

Amaya feinted to the left, then struck out at Kane's right, her left leg swinging up to catch Kane briefly but harshly in the chest, making the man stumble back at the blow. The woman closed in, her _kunai_ ready to dig into Kane's chest before he deflected the attack away and shoved the woman back. Kane lunged at Amaya, quickly weaving hand signs as he charged at her. He stopped and slapped his hand into the ground, causing it shake and shudder before a gash appeared and wrought cracked path to Amaya, who quickly jumped out of the way as a large shard of rock punctured through the earth where she had been standing moments before.

The orange-haired woman landed, her dark grey clothes billowing around her slender frame as her hair fluttered lightly in front of her eyes before falling back in place around her face. Her chocolate brown eyes were hard with determination, although her breath was ragged from her battle. "This won't end easily with you going down now, will it?"

Kane smirked. "Who do you think I am?" He touched a black tattoo on his left arm, pulling out a golden, two-bladed spear from a weapon storage somewhere. He brandished it proudly and settled into a stance. "It's been a while since I have last used this… It brings back memories." He lunged at Amaya, twirling the deadly weapon expertly around in his hands. The man swung his weapon downwards on Amaya, who barely dodged out of the way as the golden spear's blade blew through the solid rock face and left a nasty gash in the ground. Kane straightened and looked at Amaya.

"This will be interesting…" Amaya drew the pair of _wakizashi_ that she had grabbed from the scabbard that had been taken from her earlier. "I haven't used these in a while either…" She dashed at Kane, then disappeared in the blink of an eye, appearing at Kane's left side where she slashed at his exposed waist, cutting a light gash in his flesh before she was gone again.

Kane looked around cautiously, his eyes scrutinizing his surroundings. He took a small step, turning his body slightly. "So this is why they call you the Chameleon. You blend in so well, it's hard as hell to find you at all."

There was a ghostly chuckle from somewhere in the shadows. "I learned from the best, Kane. I can only live up to my namesake…" Another gash appeared on Kane's cheek, the older man flinching at the sharp metal that sliced open his flesh. "It is my specialty… Aren't you happy that you get to see it before you die?"

"Hehehehehehe…! This is very amusing!" Kane chuckled, raising his spear slightly as he turned around and swung his spear downwards.

Amaya jumped from the shadow where Kane's spear had struck, although a gash appeared on her shoulder as she landed across from Kane. "Hm… Very good. Maybe I underestimated you a little bit." She twirled her twin blades around once.

Kane began to circle Amaya. "You haven't shown me your very best yet though."

"Neither have you," Amaya commented, circling the man in return.

Then, the two adults charged the other, running directly at the other before Amaya jumped up, slashing downwards in a diagonal arc, first with one blade, then the other. Kane blocked the first, missing the second as the sharp _wakizashi_ left another light cut that trailed from his right shoulder down his collarbone. His own blow, which was an upward slash, left a light cut on Amaya's abdomen. They struck more blows, Amaya lashing out calmly with one last smooth cut before she landed behind Kane.

As Amaya landed in a crouch, Kane had stopped himself, their backs facing the other. Then, Kane coughed out a red liquid as he collapsed onto one knee, using his spear as a support.

"So… I guess I lose here, eh?" Kane murmured, a slash appearing across his entire chest. Blood began to coarse down his body.

Amaya stood up, turning around to face Kane. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you in battle, Kane-_senpai_. I have longed to fight you for years now. It is a shame that this was a fight to the death."

Kane smirked. "You've always been an annoying _kouhai_… Ha." Then, the man fell forward, his life ended.

Amaya turned to her pupils and the _jonin_. "Izo, nice to finally see you again after so long." She flashed a weak smile.

Izo nodded his head once in acknowledgement. "It has been quite some time." He held up a necklace. "This was what you were looking for now, right?" He tossed it to Amaya, who caught it.

"That's right. How did you know?" Amaya inquired, looking at the necklace to make sure it was the right one. She put it away when she was satisfied that it was.

Izo shrugged. "I just happened to overhear them talking about it and they just gave it to me, telling me to toss with everything else that we had."

"I see," Amaya commented as she bent down to grab her scabbard, shaking Kane's blood off her blades before it congealed on the steel. She then re-sheathed her twin blades and hooked the scabbard around her small waist. The woman finally turned her eyes to her pupils. "Mission accomplished. Let's go home, kids."

"Y-yes, Amaya-_sensei_," Haru whispered weakly.

Amaya noticed her blond-haired student's discomfort. "Hiashi-_kun_, help take Haru outside. I almost forgot that she gets nauseated around the scent of blood."

"Yes, ma'am!" Hiashi replied. He helped escort Haru out of the cave.

Amaya turned her chocolate eyes to Momoko. "You may go on ahead, Momoko. Izo and I will be right out."

Momoko nodded, turning on her heel and leaving as requested.

Amaya watched the dark-haired girl leave, waiting until she was out before she turned to Izo. "What do you think of her?"

"Hm… She has a lot of potential… I can see it in her. What do you plan to do now, Amaya? That Momoko girl has a lot of undiscovered talent. How do you plan to help her access those talents?" Izo responded quietly.

"I plan to train with her as soon as we return," Amaya replied.

"I see… Does she know what element she has yet?" Izo inquired.

The woman shook her head. "That's what I'll find out soon."

Izo nodded. "Then so be it."

Amaya looked around them. "What are you going to do about all this treasure and the bodies of those four?"

"I'll call for help. So don't worry about it. Let's go."

The two left the blood covered cave.

Once they had returned to Sunagakure, Momoko had immediately returned to training. She was disappointed with her weak appearance back in the cave.

As she was practicing though, a voice interrupted her.

"Momoko?"

The dark-haired girl turned at the voice. "Oh, Amaya-_sensei_. What is it?"

"You seem upset…and more determined to become stronger. Was it because of our last mission?" Amaya commented.

Momoko looked away. "I almost died… If it hadn't been for Izo-_sensei_, I would be dead right now…" She looked into Amaya's eyes. "I want to grow stronger, Amaya-_sensei_! I want to be able to protect Haru-_san_ and Hiashi-_kun_ and all the future comrades that I will have!"

"I see…" The teacher smiled as she held out a piece of paper to her pupil. "Then I want to know what chakra nature you have, Momoko. You know how this works, don't you?"

Momoko took the piece of paper from her teacher's hand. "Yes, of course. Atsushi-_sensei_ taught us back at the ninja academy about this stuff." She turned her eyes to her teacher. "Why do you want to know my chakra nature though?"

"I want to know so that I know where I can go in teaching you more advanced techniques. To help you become stronger to protect your friends and comrades. Hiashi and Haru will be joining us shortly to do this as well. Let's find out what yours is now though," Amaya replied.

Momoko smiled as she concentrated her chakra on the paper as thoughts ran through her mind… Thoughts of how she wanted to become stronger to protect her friends and comrades… Thoughts of becoming a stronger _shinobi_… Thoughts of Gaara. She wouldn't find herself unable to protect either herself or her friends again. She would become stronger.

The paper split neatly in two.

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter of a whopping 18 pages! I had too much of a writing frenzy. I'm starting the next chapter soon, too! Here is a list I found on Wiki about chakra nature if you don't know:**

The chakra paper reactions are as follows:

Fire: the paper will ignite and turn to ash.

Wind: the paper will split in two.

Lightning: the paper will wrinkle.

Earth: the paper will turn to dirt and crumble away.

Water: the paper will become wet/damp

**With that said, I hope to see you in the next chapter! Again, R&R please and thank you! :D**


	4. Another Year Passes

**Sabaku no Momo**

(4. Another Year Passes…)

By Anke-chan

Pairing: Gaara x OC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC

Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D

A/N: Please R&R! :D

It had been another year. Momoko's twelfth birthday came and passed. She was now a full-fledged _chuunin_, having completed the _chuunin_ exam before the end of the previous year. Already, the girl had been on several C-ranked and a few B-ranked missions with her fellow comrades Hiashi and Haru and their cell leader, Amaya. No longer _genin_-ranked _shinobi_ though, they were led by someone different every now and then. Their leader had been Izo, a _jounin_ they met during one of their first missions, once.

The dark-haired girl's hair was longer than it had been before, trailing to her waist, although not much could be said of her height. She was still a tiny 4'9", seeming even smaller with her already slender frame. She had on a dark red top that hugged her slender torso with knee-length black tights. She scuffed her ankle-length black sandals against the dirt ground, waiting patiently for her cellmates to show up for the daily training sessions they held when they weren't on missions.

_I wonder if Gaara is doing okay…?_ The girl thought to herself, having heard that the next _chuunin_ exam was being held in Konohagakure and that several of the other _genin_ cells had headed to Konohagakure, the Sand Siblings being one of them.

Before she could ponder on the thought further, a voice called out to her from the distance. "OI! Momoko-_chan_!"

The girl turned and returned the wave, a smile lighting up her features as she watched her two comrades come running up to her. "Haru-_chan_. Hiashi-_kun_. I was waiting for you."

Haru was out of breath but bowed repeatedly to Momoko, apologizing repeatedly as well. "We're so sorry! Sorry! SORRY! We were late! AGAIN!" She sobbed, still bowing.

Momoko laughed, catching Haru's shoulders before she could bow again. "Okay, okay! I get it! Stop bowing so much before you get dizzy. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"

"That's true! So calm down now, Haru," Hiashi added on, laughing as well.

Haru blushed, fiddling with her fingers nervously out of habit. "…S-sorry…" she muttered again, her eyes cast on her feet.

Momoko patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry about it! Come on, let's get started!" She pulled away from Haru and ran a few feet away, giving the other two some space before she stopped and turned to face them. "Okay, are you ready?"

Hiashi turned and headed off a few feet away from Haru, then stopped himself. His dark green hair almost looked black and had grown out enough that he could pull it back to tie in a small ponytail. The boy had for sure grown at least an inch and a half since they had first become a cell. "Now I am! Shall we go?"

Haru looked up, her eyes suddenly full of confidence as she nodded. Haru's own hair had grown as well, although it wasn't as long as Momoko's. Haru's golden tresses cascaded to just an inch or two past her shoulders. "I am! Shall we?" She settled back into her battle stance as her two teammates followed suit.

There was a moment of silence where they all observed the other… Then, all three disappeared in the blink of an eye, only to reappear a moment later to clash their weapons together. Momoko backed off from the clash, unsettling both Hiashi and Haru's balance before she shoved Hiashi aside and struck out at Haru. Haru dodged the blow and struck out with her fist at Momoko's stomach. The dark-haired girl parried the blow with a small twist of her body and the lightest flick of her wrist.

The green-haired boy jumped at both of the girls, although his _kunai_ was aimed at Momoko. Momoko noticed Hiashi from the corner of her eye and took a step away from his attack range, the _kunai_ striking down where her shoulder would have been a moment ago before she lashed out at him, swinging her fist. The boy pulled back from the attack just in the nick of time as Haru kicked out her leg at Momoko.

Ducking underneath the blond-haired girl's strike, Momoko swung her own leg around, connecting her foot with Haru's and unbalancing her completely, knocking the other girl down. Momoko then jumped up at Hiashi, feinting to the right before switching her direction and attacking him from the left instead. Hiashi foresaw the feint and caught Momoko's right wrist, stopping her _kunai_ in its tracks. He smiled at her before grabbing her left shoulder with his right hand, attempting to flip the dark-haired girl over his shoulder.

Instead of that occurring though, the girl caught her leg against Hiashi's, stopping the throw before it happened. She then reversed the throw, pulling Hiashi around and tripping him over her leg where he then crashed to the ground.

"Darn it!" Hiashi exclaimed, although he was laughing. He stood up and dusted himself off before giving Momoko a few pats on her shoulder. "You're getting to be pretty ruthless yourself now…"

Haru dusted off her bottom, nodding in agreement with Hiashi. "Did you get that from our training with Amaya-_sensei_? It certainly feels like you did…" She came to stand beside Hiashi and Momoko.

Momoko smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Ah, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be so rough…" A sweat drop trailed down her cheek. "_Gomen ne_," she said, bowing slightly.

"No worries! We're fine! Shall we go and eat some treats together?" Haru giggled, waving Momoko's apology aside.

Hiashi nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Let's do that!"

Momoko laughed. "All right. Let's go then!"

The three friends headed back into the village, laughing and chatting happily.

**A Few Hours Later…**

Momoko was idly sitting in her apartment, thinking about things. Everything had seemed to change so fast… Already, she was a _chuunin_ and had more say… That didn't mean anyone would listen to her about Gaara though… Every time she had tried to bring up the neglected boy to the other villagers, someone always changed the subject, talking about the weather or what had happened to a neighbor lately… It was all gossip and jokes. No one wanted anything to do with the failed experiment.

That irked the dark-haired girl more than anything. No one would see past the title that everyone had stamped upon the boy. No one wanted to see him as a person. All he seemed to be to them was a relic of the past, a mistake. The irritation the girl felt was nothing compared to the sadness she felt… She regretted being so unable to be strong enough to approach Gaara…

It wasn't because she was afraid that he would kill her, no. It was the fact that he would reject her… The fear that he wouldn't even want to try being friends with her. Momoko hated feeling so unsure about everything… For what had she worked so hard to get here? It was because of Gaara, wasn't it…? She didn't know what to think or expect anymore… At least, that was what she often thought of. Yet somehow, the fighting spirit in her refused to give up. She wasn't going to give in. Never.

The girl closed her eyes. _Sabaku no Gaara… I have only one request from you… Only one._ She opened her eyes again, staring at the wall that stood opposite of her bed.

A knock at the door disrupted her train of thought. The girl jumped up from her bed and went to open the door. She unlocked the chain and pushed open the door. "Ah… Amaya-_sensei_. What is it? Is something wrong?"

"We have a mission. It'll probably take us a few days, so make sure to pack enough. Understood?" Amaya stated in greeting.

Momoko nodded her head. "_Ryoukai_, Amaya-_sensei_." She shut her door as she headed back inside to pack. There wasn't time to think about her own personal matters now.

Momoko's cell was requested to help escort a man back to his village further in Sunagakure. Momoko looked over the man. He was tall with broad shoulders and a mess of graying hair. His soft and kind green eyes took in everything with a sharp look that was strange for such kind looking eyes. There was a set of wrinkles etched between his eyebrows.

"So, you young'uns are in charge now, eh?" the man asked, his smile kind.

"Yes," Momoko replied.

The man turned to Momoko. "Well, aren't you a pretty one? But what's this…?" He looked deep into the girl's eyes. "I see a sad past and troubled mind in you."

Momoko looked away, although it wasn't in embarrassment or shame. "Yes. I have had lots of things happen."

"You shouldn't let anything hold you back," the man said. "Oh, the name's Kotaro. Pleasure to make all of your acquaintances."

"My name is Machida Amaya," Amaya said.

"My, my! You're a beauty, ain't cha?" Kotaro commented, giving Amaya a wink.

Amaya giggled. "Thank you."

Kotaro turned to Hiashi and Haru. "What about you two? What are your names now?"

"Name's Hiashi," Hiashi said.

"Ahaha, sure you are," Kotaro said, laughing heartily. He turned to Haru. "How 'bout you, young'un?"

Haru blushed and murmured shyly, "Ha-Haru. My name's Haru."

"As pretty as your name, you are," Kotaro complimented, smiling kindly at the shy girl.

Haru blushed a deeper shade of red. "T-thank you, Kotaro-_san_…"

"I see bright futures ahead for all of you young'uns," Kotaro said, looking around at the three youngsters. He turned his eyes to Amaya. "You've done an amazing job to prepare them all, Missy Amaya."

Amaya looked proudly at her cell. "Thank you, but they are far from having reached their potentials. All of them have so much left to learn and they still have a long way to go." Her eyes met Momoko's momentarily before she looked away.

Kotaro gave another hearty laugh, nudging Momoko. "You should laugh more, young'un! I can see that a smile suits you much more! Come on now, laugh!"

Momoko looked at the older man, unsure. But a smile tugged at her lips and soon, she was laughing, too.

"That's it! My, my! A smile definitely lights up your features!" Kotaro complimented, smiling broadly at Momoko.

"Thank you," Momoko said again, smiling this time.

It was late in the night and the fire was crackling in its pit. Momoko heard a light shift of cloth and she sat bolt upright. She noticed that it was just Kotaro sitting up himself. "Kotaro-_san_?"

"Ah. You can't sleep either, young'un?" Kotaro asked.

Momoko shrugged slightly. "I guess so…" She looked at the older man questioningly. "Why can't you sleep, Kotaro-san?"

"I have many things on my mind that keep me from sleeping," Kotaro said, his voice mournful. He turned his eyes to look at Momoko. "I've seen it in your eyes as well. There are things that even you regret, aren't there, young'un?"

Momoko lowered her eyes. "There's a boy in our village that no one acknowledges… Ever since I was six years old, I've wanted to be friends with this boy… But everyone kept telling me to stay away from him because he was dangerous, unstable… It wasn't the fear that I would die if I tried approaching this person. Death is nothing compared to this…" The girl turned away. "I feared that he would never want to be friends with me."

"That's where, you're wrong, Momoko," Kotaro murmured. "Maybe he needs you more than you realize right now. You hold yourself back because you fear he won't be willing to be friends with you… But what if that isn't true and you're lying to yourself to keep from getting hurt? To keep yourself from being hurt if you were to lose him?"

The older man's words hit a string in Momoko's heart and an image of her parents' picture flashed into her mind. She gritted her teeth, then murmured, "Maybe it's because I lost people I barely knew… People I was supposed to call 'mother' and 'father'… I'm ashamed that I was never able to even call them that because they were dead days after I was born..."

Kotaro stood up and went over to Momoko, who he gently pulled into his arms and hugged. "Losing one's parents is one of the hardest things that a person can go through, it is. But you can't let this fact hold you back from living your life and making connections, young'un. Understand?" He continued to hug Momoko as she began to cry soundless cries.

In the morning, Momoko woke up and found Amaya poking some cooking meat that had been placed over a make-shift grill. Amaya looked up and smiled weakly at Momoko. "_Ohayou_, Momoko," she greeted.

From the look in Amaya's eyes, Momoko knew that she had overheard the conversation that had taken place the night before. "You heard, didn't you, Amaya-_sensei_?" she asked.

Amaya nodded once, not even bothering to lie. "I did. I'm sorry for your loss, Momoko. I won't say I understand how you feel because I've never gone through what you have… But I do want you to know that I will always be here for you as your teacher and friend." The woman smiled kindly at the girl.

Momoko stared at her teacher in amazement. Slowly, she, too, smiled in return. "Thank you, Amaya-_sensei_. I really appreciate that."

"Yes," Amaya said. She then turned to her other students and said in a loud voice, "How long do you two plan to sleep in!"

Momoko laughed as her other two cellmates sat up, startled by the sudden loud shout. She greeted them with, "_Ohayou_, you two."

Haru turned, blinking sleepily as she looked at Momoko. "Ah, _ohayou_, Momoko-_chan_… _Ara_?" The girl rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at Momoko again. "Y-you're smiling…!"

"E-eh? Is it weird?" Momoko asked, blushing, feeling a little bit self-conscious.

Haru clapped her hands happily. "Ahaha, not at all! It looks wonderful! Don't ever stop smiling!" She glomped Momoko, barely able to contain her happiness.

Momoko's smile returned as she returned the hug.

"What's going on?" Hiashi asked as he noticed his cellmates embracing.

The two girls laughed, noticing Hiashi's messy bed hair.

"Maybe it's about time you get a haircut," Momoko laughed.

Haru agreed. "How true! Maybe you should, Hiashi-_kun_!"

It was then that Hiashi noticed Momoko's smile. He couldn't help himself but smile then laugh as well. "Maybe," he said through his laughter.

Amaya admired her happy students as Kotaro got up himself, awakened by the laughter of the three youngsters. She cast him a glance, "Thank you, Kotaro-_san_. Sometimes, I think they were made to grow up much too fast."

Kotaro looked at the laughing children himself and nodded. "In the _shinobi_ world, that's what happens, Amaya-_san_." He turned his eyes to Amaya. "Would you and your cell mind staying in our village for a few days? I think it would do well for the young'uns to rest up a bit before y'all head back the Sunagakure."

Amaya gave a light laugh. "That would be wonderful, Kotaro-_san_."

The cell finally arrived in the older man's home village. They looked around at the small town and noticed either the frightened or curious looks of pass-byers. Kotaro led the cell to his home, where he introduced them to his wife and children. He put an arm around his fair-haired wife, whose hazel eyes danced as they looked at the cell.

"This is my wife, Miki," Kotaro said, his smile warm and broad as he pecked the woman's cheek affectionately.

Miki's smile was motherly as she looked at the three young _shinobi_. "My, my, hello there. You three are awfully young to be _shinobi_." She pulled away from her husband's side and went closer to the three. She leaned down until she was eye-level with them before she reached out and brushed Momoko's dark hair back. "Welcome to our home. You're much younger than I would have anticipated."

Momoko was unsure of what to say, but managed to stutter, "Y-yes. Thank you for having us, Miki-_san_…"

Miki giggled, the laugh lines more prominent as she smiled. "It's no trouble at all. Kotaro and I always welcome the weary traveler. Please, come on in." She headed inside.

Kotaro flashed the cell a smile. "I'll introduce you to my kids and grandkids when they come back. They're all out right now. Please do feel free to come in though." He gestured for the group to come in.

Amaya nodded. "Let's go in then. We shouldn't be rude and keep them waiting."  
"Yes, Amaya-_sensei_," her three students said in unison.

It was late into the night when everyone was seated around in the sitting room, having had their fill of a delicious dinner. The _shinobi_ were also able to meet Kotaro's oldest son as well as the son's two children as well as Kotaro's youngest daughter and her daughter. Kotaro later explained during dinner to the group that his eldest daughter had moved to another village that wasn't too far away while his other two younger sons had gone and built their own homes in the village, dropping by every now and then.

"How was the trip here?" Miki inquired as everyone got comfortable.

"It's wonderful," Amaya replied.

Miki cast Amaya a warm glance. "I'm glad that you are happy with the accommodations, Amaya-_sensei_."

"Thank you for dinner," Haru murmured.

Miki laughed heartily, tossing back her head before she calmed herself and said, "It was no trouble! Especially since all of you insisted on helping me cook. I should be thanking you as well."

As the conversations continued, eventually spinning off to a different topic, Momoko became lost in her thoughts. She had never felt this way before… This feeling that was new and strange… Was it the feeling that she… Belonged? She didn't know what to really think about the whole thing.

Momoko stood up. "Excuse me. I'm going to go outside for some fresh air, if that's all right?"

"Of course! It's no problem," Kotaro said, waving a hand.

Momoko gave a smile before she went out through the front door. Once she was outside, she let out an exhale. Was this what it was like to feel relaxed? To feel at peace? To not worry that something bad may soon happen? The girl turned her dark eyes to look up into the sky. She took a few steps to her left, her eyes never leaving the midnight blackness above her before she leaned back against the wooden wall behind her.

The young _kunoichi_ soon lowered her gaze to the ground, her thoughts drifting back to the thought that had been interrupted when they were still back in Sunagakure. Her thoughts about Gaara… She winced as a sharp pain jabbed her in her heart, her hand going and clenching her shirt front. _Why does…my heart always hurt when I think of Sabaku no Gaara? What is it about him…that makes me feel this way? Never in my life… Have I ever felt this way towards anybody except him… I don't… Understand this feeling I have._ The girl took a calming breath, letting her thoughts flow.

_I need to do this… I must ask him!_ The girl looked up at the sky, a determined light glowing in her brown eyes. _I won't hold back this time._

She turned and was just about to open the door when it opened by itself. A figure stood in the doorway. "Momoko-_chan_?"

"Ah, Haru-_chan_?" Momoko asked, slightly surprised.

Haru took a step outside and closed the door behind her. "I was worried about you… Are you okay, Momoko-_chan_?" The shadows cast a dark look over Haru, making it slightly difficult for Momoko to see the other girl's expression.

Momoko gave a small smile. "I was just thinking about some things…"

"Things? Like what?" Haru inquired.

Momoko hadn't taken the chance to tell Haru things such as this before… She remembered the other girl's reaction when she had mentioned Gaara. The dark-haired girl rubbed the back of her head as she murmured, "Um… Well… It was about… Gaara."

Haru couldn't help but instinctively shudder as Momoko said his name. "O-oh? Is that right?" She steadied her voice. "I'm sorry if I sound frightened… It's just that… It has become a natural thing for me… I don't want to seem like I'm disrespecting you, Momoko…"

"It's understandable," Momoko replied.

"N-no! It isn't! I'm sure that this time, I know why you're thinking of Sabaku no Gaara…! You want to be friends with him, right? I've noticed how you've been trying to talk about him to the other villagers," Haru exclaimed. She lowered her eyes. "You're trying to change their views…and well… I think it's wonderful that you're doing that, Momoko-_chan_."

The dark haired girl was slight taken aback with surprise. "E-eh? You really think so, Haru-_chan_?"

Haru looked at Momoko and nodded eagerly. "Of course! You're always so strong! You have no idea how much I've always admired you for that!" The blond girl blushed. "A-ah…" She lowered her eyes again, her cheeks reddening. "I didn't think I would ever tell you that… I was always so shy and unsure of myself, unsure of my own strength…"

Momoko smiled. "No. You've always been strong, Haru-_chan_. You just didn't take the time to see it. I'm happy that you are able to now though." She reached a hand forward and patted her friend's shoulder.

Haru looked up again, smiling happily. "As I was saying earlier though… you're strong. You want people to acknowledge him because he's been shunned all his life. You want to change the villagers' opinions of him. You fight for it. You fight for him, don't you, Momoko-_chan_?"

It was Momoko's turn to blush as she murmured, "Yeah. I can't help myself but fight for him… He's someone with whom I've wanted to be friends with for so long… I wish I could do more for him, Haru-_chan_… I really do." The dark-haired girl felt the stinging tears of frustration prick at the corners of her eyes.

The blond-haired girl noticed the tears and reached forward, her fingers wiping away the tears. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to become friends with him one day," Haru whispered consolingly.

Momoko smiled and hugged the other girl. "I hope so, too."

"Girls? Where are you?" Amaya opened the front door. "It's a little chilly out tonight. Come on in before you catch a cold. That would be bad now."

The two girls laughed a little as they returned back inside.

A week later…

Momoko had decided to go out and buy groceries when she noticed that a large crowd had gathered around the village gates. _What's going on?_ The girl thought to herself before she went over to see what was happening.

"Please, step back! We're trying to get through!" It was a womanly voice. Momoko recognized that voice! It had to be… The crowd parted and Momoko's guess was confirmed when she saw Temari coming along, followed by Gaara, who had an arm around Kankuro's shoulders.

"What happened? Did it succeed?" One villager asked.

_'Succeed'…? What's going on?_ Momoko wondered to herself, baffled at the inquiry the villager had asked Temari.

"No. It failed. It doesn't matter at this point," Temari replied coolly.

The Sand Siblings quickly disappeared from view, leaving everyone confused and asking questions. Only one girl didn't know what was going on.

"Amaya-_sensei_!"

The orange-haired woman looked up. "_Ara_? Momoko? What is it? You seem out of breath. What happened?"

The dark-haired girl looked at Amaya, unsure of what to feel. "Did you know about this!"

"About what?" Amaya inquired, her expression confused.

"About Operation: Destroy Konoha!" The girl shouted, her disbelief clear on her face.

Amaya's expression became neutral. "Operation: Destroy Konoha?" She averted her eyes. "I knew about it. Everyone knew about it."

"How come I didn't know! How come Haru-_chan_ and Hiashi-_kun_ didn't know!"

"I hid it from you," the woman stated matter-of-factly.

"But why!"

Amaya turned her eyes to look at Momoko. "I knew you would be against it. We've been together long enough that I know you're a pacifist, Momoko."

Momoko was taken aback slightly. She felt her building anger fade as she tucked her hair back before she looked back at her teacher. "I'm going to guess… That you also knew I would protest against it, huh?"

Amaya nodded. "I also knew you would do that and I also knew that that would have gotten you into much trouble. I couldn't let that happen to my precious student now, could I?" She fixed her chocolate brown eyes on the girl's dark ones. "I'm glad I made the three of you participate in the _chuunin_ exams last year. If I had let you three take it this year, you would have been involved in this operation. I would not have been okay endangering your lives."

"Yet you allowed the other _chuunin_ teams go and endanger their lives!" Momoko exclaimed.

Amaya looked at Momoko with calm eyes. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't have let that happen either. We are all from the same Hidden Village, but… The final decision was not mine to make, Momoko. Understand that."

Momoko felt hurt and didn't know what else to say. She lowered her eyes to the ground before she murmured, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. You must have been busy with work. Excuse me." She hastily left the room, leaving her teacher to sit alone.

Amaya stared at nothing for a few minutes. Then with a sigh, the woman turned back to her paperwork, although she only put in her effort half-heartedly now.

It had been approximately three days after Operation: Destroy Konoha! had failed. Sunagakure and Konohagakure had met and signed peace treaties. All seemed well and quiet once more…except for the turmoil that raged within one person.

Momoko had not smiled in the three days since she had learned about the operation. The girl was glad that there was peace again, but the shock from the entire deal of Amaya having said nothing to the cell was stronger than Momoko's relief. She let out another sigh as she turned her face upwards and looked into the deep blue sky, using her hand to shield her brown eyes from the harsh rays of the sun.

'Is it because… Amaya-_sensei_ still considers us children that she said nothing to us…?' The girl could only ponder the question silently to herself as she swung back on the swing, turning her eyes away from the peaceful deep blue to look back at the dirt ground. 'It's been three days since I last spoke to anybody from my cell… I wonder how they're all doing right now…? I'm sure Amaya-_sensei_ is as busy as ever with all of her work… Hiashi-_kun_ is most likely training with Haru-_chan_… Yet, there's also…' The girl's thoughts flashed to Gaara. 'I wonder if he's okay…? He looked… Different when I saw him…' She stopped swinging and stood up, a determined expression taking over her sad expression. 'I should go find Gaara and take this chance to talk to him!'

Momoko turned to her left just as another person walked past her line of sight. He was garbed in dark clothes… 'W-wait… I-it couldn't be…?' Momoko thought, freezing in place as she watched the newcomer pause as they noticed her presence.

It was Sabaku no Gaara.

TBC~

A/N: Aaaah~! I'm finally finished! I'm so sorry that I've kept you all waiting! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you in the next one~! FINALLY! Gaara and Momoko's first conversation! XD I'm soo excited~!


	5. I want to be Friends with You

**Sabaku no Momo**

(5. I want to be friends with you)

By Anke-chan

Pairing: Gaara x OC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC

Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D

A/N: Please R&R! :D

Momoko could only stare at Gaara, baffled to find him here, of all places. What was he doing here? This was unusual… It was then that Momoko noticed the somewhat confused expression on his face. That was even more unusual. The dark-haired girl stared back at Gaara as he stared at her. _There's no… Deathly aura surrounding him like the last time I saw him… What happened to him in Konohagakure…?_ Momoko pondered to herself as she looked at the red-head.

"Who are you?"

The _kunoichi_ was surprised when the _shinobi_ boy spoke. She found her voice with difficulty as she said, "M-my name's… Momoko."

Gaara stared at her a moment longer, then turned away. He looked deep in thought… Was he… Struggling for something to say in response? A moment later, he looked back at the girl and said, "I'm sure you know who I am already, don't you?"

Momoko nodded numbly.

"You should be running away right now," he murmured, his expression blank.

The girl stared at him in silence. Neither one said anything, merely stared at the other as both waited for someone to speak. Finally, Momoko decided to speak up first, but apparently, Gaara had the same idea.

"Do you—" Momoko began just as Gaara said, "Why won't—" They stopped simultaneously, staring at each other again. Then, the girl did something the boy had not expected: She laughed. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but a kind one.

When she finally caught her breath, she noticed that the red-headed boy was looking at her in confusion. She smiled and said, "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I would never have expected something like that to happen the first time I actually talk with you."

Gaara was even more surprised. "Talk…with me…?"

Momoko nodded. "Yes; talk with you." She went closer to him, noticing how sand gathered around his feet. She put up her hands, palms facing outward as she said, "It's okay. I won't hurt you." When the sand slowly stopped gathering, Momoko took one step closer. "I'm glad I can finally talk with you, Gaara-sama." She held out her hand to the boy.

He took a step back, then turned and bolted.

"A-ah! Gaara-sama?" Momoko called out to him, but he didn't stop running. She felt a bit sad, but more hopeful that she would meet him again. "I'm sure… He's just not used to it."

Gaara finally stopped when he thought was far enough away. Why had that girl…been so kind to him? He was confused… What were these strange feelings that he was feeling? …Wait… He placed a hand over his heart. This was indeed strange. He had never felt this way before… Was this… Happiness?

He slowly continued on his way home, his hand remaining where it was over his heart. Had he just gained something that he had never had before? He wasn't sure…but he felt that he might find out soon enough.

Momoko was on her way home when a voice called out to her. "Oi! Momoko!" The dark-haired girl turned. "Ah, Hiashi-_kun_!" She paused and waited for the other boy to catch up to her. "Where did you come from?"

The boy gave her a sheepish smile before he said, "I was just on my way home, actually." His smile disappeared as he asked, "Why haven't you spoke to either me or Haru the past couple of days? Are you angry with us? Or are you…angry with Amaya-_sensei_ for having hidden the truth from us?"

"Hiashi-_kun_…" The _kunoichi_ girl averted her eyes, unsure of what to say. "I guess you could say I was angry with Amaya-_sensei_…but I wasn't with you or Haru!" She turned to look at Hiashi then. "None of us knew anything about Operation: Destroy Konoha! Amaya-_sensei_ hid it from all three of us…"

Hiashi shook his head with a small smile as he reached out and ruffled Momoko's hair with his hand. "It's fine, Momoko. Don't worry so much about it. Amaya-_sensei_ was just doing what she thought was more important: Protecting us. So don't take it too hard on _sensei_, ne?" He stopped walking, cocking his head to the side slightly as he changed the subject. "Before I bumped into you, you seemed happier. May I ask why?"

Momoko blushed lightly, averting her eyes again. "Ah, that…" She turned to face Hiashi again and smiled. "I finally spoke with Gaara-_sama_!"

"Eh!? Really? Did he do anything to you?" Hiashi inquired.

The girl shook her head. "Not at all! I think he was too shy to say much…so he left before we could have a longer conversation…" She smiled a little disappointedly, but it changed into a more hopeful smile. "I won't give up though! Next time I meet him, I promise I'll have a conversation with him!"

The other boy laughed. "I'm sure you can do it, Momoko. Once you open up, no one can really stay away from you. Did you know that?"

"Eh? Really?" Momoko looked at Hiashi inquiringly.

He nodded. "Yeah." His ears blushed faintly as he looked at Momoko. "You have this certain charm around you that brings people to you, Momoko. You might not have realized it before, but it's the truth."

A small laugh came out of the girl's throat before she slapped Hiashi lightly on the back of his shoulder. "Flattery won't get you anywhere here, mister!"

"Is that right?" Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "Shall we settle this with a spar then?"

"You're on! Let's go find Haru first though!"

**-The Next Day-**

Momoko had the day off so she decided to go and do some shopping. She had rummaged through her refrigerator and found that she was low on food. The sun was high in the sky as the girl _chuunin_ walked through the village towards the grocery store. She pulled out her grocery list, double-checking to make sure she had written down everything that she would need to buy at the store today. As she continued looking over her list, she didn't notice another person walking right in front of her and ran into him.

Both of them fell back, although each managed to catch their balance before looking at the other. Both of them could not hide their surprise when they realized who the other was.

"Ah, _gomen na sai_, Gaara-_sama_. I didn't see you there," Momoko apologized, bowing politely to the other. She carefully bent down and retrieved her fallen grocery list. When she realized Gaara had not said anything, she looked up. "Would you like to come with me?"

Gaara looked at her questioningly. "Go with you? Where?" His tone of voice showed his suspicion. The girl couldn't blame him for it though.

With a smile, she said, "The grocery store. I wanted to go and buy some food. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" She offered the piece of paper in her hands to the boy for him to see.

Taking the paper with caution, Gaara quietly looked over the list. A moment later, he handed back the list as he asked, "Why do you want me to go with you…?"

Without hesitation, the girl said, "I want to have a conversation with you, Gaara-_sama_. I really want to be friends with you!"

The red-head was taken aback by the girl's words. "You…want to be friends with me? But… Why me?"

"I've wanted to be friends with you for a long time, Gaara-_sama_. I didn't like seeing all of the villagers doing those things to you," Momoko said. "Would you like to be friends with me?" She held out her hand to the boy.

The boy stared at the girl's outstretched hand, but made no move to take it. "I…guess I could go with you… I don't have anything else…to really do right now," he murmured in a low voice.

"I'm glad," the dark-haired girl replied, happy. She began walking, letting the boy fall into step beside her. "How are you feeling these days?"

Gaara glanced at her, surprise clear on his face. It was the first time someone was asking whether he was all right. A warmth suddenly flowed through the boy's chest, but he composed himself and answered in a soft voice, "I'm…doing better."

"I'm happy to hear that. I was really worried," the girl said, heaving a small relieved sigh. She continued eagerly. "Have you been coming to the village more often these days, Gaara-_sama_?"

He nodded. "I have… It's better than staying inside doing nothing…for the time being."

"The time being? What do you mean by that, if I may ask?"

The boy hesitated momentarily then said, "I want to grow stronger."

"Stronger?"

"…"

The girl tucked back a strand of her hair. "I apologize if I seem nosy."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Ah, I thought you might be annoyed with all of my questions," the girl chuckled nervously.

Gaara shook his head. "No, it's okay. I…don't really mind…"

Momoko turned to look at him, her expression one of surprise. A smile quickly upturned her lips as she said, "May I ask why you want to become stronger? I won't laugh, I promise."

The red-head stared at the girl in silence for what seemed a long time. Then he answered in a small voice, "In Konohagakure… I met someone else like me. Another _Jinchuuriiki_ who carries a tailed-beast inside him. He showed me compassion even though he didn't know me. He showed me what true strength is and I want to follow his example. I want to grow strong to protect others."

The girl suddenly stopped in her tracks, making the boy stop himself. Gaara suddenly felt afraid. Was she really going to laugh at him?

The dark-haired _kunoichi_ surprised him when she reached forward and took his hand in hers. "That's a wonderful dream to grow stronger! I will be here to give you full support!"

Blushing slightly, Gaara pulled his hand away from Momoko's. "What makes you give me support? We barely know each other…"

Without batting an eyelash, Momoko said, "We're friends. Friends give their support to one another no matter what. I know it's sudden, but I truly do want to be friends with you, Gaara-_sama_. Even if others might condemn me for being friends with you, I can live with it. I don't want to see you alone anymore."

Gaara stared at Momoko in silence. He felt a warmth in his chest, but he didn't understand what it was… It was the same feeling he had felt yesterday after he had bumped into her. Was this truly what happiness felt like? He had looked away from the girl, but now turned his mint green eyes back to the girl's brown ones. "You really want to be friends with me? A former monster? Someone who killed without regret…?"

The next thing that happened surprised the boy to no end and would be something he would never forget. The girl had reached forward then and gently wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. "It's okay with me, Gaara-_sama_. Whatever you have done in the past… I will never hold it against you. I will always forgive you."

The baffled boy pulled away from the embrace. He had not felt such warmth in so long… It felt so foreign to him. The last person he had ever received such warmth from had betrayed him in the end… What if it happened again with this girl? He didn't want to go through that again. "How can I trust you…not to betray me…?"

Momoko took a moment to think it over. "I would give my life for you."

Sand quickly gathered and turned into a spear that pressed against the girl's throat. "Even if I were to threaten you like this? You would still die for me?" The boy's expression was blank as he stared at her.

The girl surprised him again when a warm smile came to her. "Of course, Gaara-_sama_. It may seem like a bad thing that I'm willing to die for you, but I still hold value in my life."

"What value?"

"I know that I can connect with people. It may seem like a weak value in this world of _shinobi_, but I think bonds make everything worth it. I've been waiting all these years to become friends with you so the wait for me was worth it," Momoko replied.

The sand fell away as Gaara looked at the girl, speechless. His heart was beating faster than normal and in a way that felt similar to when he had killed before. Except that this time, the feeling was not spurred by a kill, but rather by…happiness? He still couldn't comprehend what it was he was feeling.

"Let's keep going! The store is just another block ahead of us, Gaara-_sama_," Momoko said, gesturing to the path ahead of them. She walked a few steps ahead then paused to look back at Gaara, waiting. "Shall we?"

Gaara stared at the dark-haired girl who had just proclaimed to be friends with him in silence. Never had anyone been so open towards him…it was strange. Yet somehow, he felt…happy inside. He felt needed and he finally had someone who was more than willing to be friends with him. Without thinking it over another moment, he took a step forward and fell into step beside the girl.

For once in his life, Gaara could say that he had found a friend.

For the dark-haired girl, she was happy that she had found the courage to say the words that had been waiting to be spoken for so many years:

"I want to be friends with you."

The pair continued on towards their destination, both happy in their own ways although the base for their happiness was their newfound friendship in one another.

TBC~

A/N: I'm happy that I finally finished the fifth chapter! I apologize for having kept you all waiting for so long! Please R&R and look forward to the next chapter!


	6. There is a First Time for Everything

**Sabaku no Momo**

(6. There's a First Time for Everything)

By Anke-chan

Pairing: Gaara x OC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC

Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Please R&R! :D

"Is it too heavy, Gaara-_sama_?" A dark-haired girl turned to look back at a red-haired boy. She was slightly surprised to see the boy using his sand to carry the grocery bags. "Ah, I'm glad it isn't heavy," she chuckled jokingly.

"Shall I…carry the ones you're carrying, too?" Gaara looked at her inquiringly.

Momoko shook her head. "No, no! It's quite all right, but thank you." She waited a moment to let the boy fall into step beside her before she continued walking. "I'm glad you came along with me today, Gaara-_sama_. That was your first time at the grocery store, right?"

Gaara nodded once in reply. "Yeah, it was… It was…interesting. Do you always go there…?" He turned to glance at the girl.

The _kunoichi_ nodded as she said, "Often enough, yes. I usually go when I'm low on food or other supplies."

"Other supplies?"

The girl blushed. "Um… Stuff like soap, shampoo, dish soap. Little things like that, Gaara-_sama_." She decided not to mention anything about feminine products. It was too strange to suddenly bring up in public and with a boy, too.

"Is that…so? I see," the red head said, nodding in understanding. "Here, I can help you carry those bags. They must be…heavy…" Without moving his hands, the sand he always used reached forward and plucked the bags from the girl's arms.

"Ga-Gaara-_sama_!" Momoko pouted at the boy. "I could carry it, too, you know. I feel bad making you carry everything. What will people say?"

"I don't know. But I don't mind, you know," the boy replied. "So that's what it's like going to a grocery store…"

"How did you feel about it, Gaara-sama?"

Gaara thought over how he had felt. "I've never been to one before, so… It's…a new experience. I never really had a need to go before because there was always someone around to feed me or give me clothes so I never had to worry about those things…" He turned his green eyes to look at Momoko. "Is it weird to you that I never went to a grocery store before…?"

Shaking her head, the girl answered, "Not at all, Gaara-_sama_. It's not strange. Besides, there is always a first time for everything. If you don't do one thing one day, there is always another day to do it."

"…What if there is not another day to do it? What if we die on the battlefield? What then…?"

"I try my best not to think of those things. I always think that there is going to be another day to do something I did not do today. It doesn't matter to me how far in the future it might be. I just try to live every day as fully as I can," the girl replied, smiling a little sadly. "Shall we think of today as one day and tomorrow as another day instead of the day we'll die…?"

Gaara stared at her in silence, but nodded once. "That sounds like a plan… Let's do it then."

"Haha. It's settled then," the girl laughed.

The pair continued walking on, their small talk lapsing into silence. When they came to the point where they had bumped into one another, Gaara handed back Momoko's grocery bags, carefully settling them into her arms.

"I think I should go home now," Gaara murmured as he finished giving back her bags. Without another word, he began to head in the direction of his house, but the girl called out to him.

"U-um…! Gaara-_sama_…!" Momoko was flustered as she spoke up, making the boy stop in his tracks. He glanced back at her inquiringly. "U-um… I was wondering if…you would like to come over to my house? For a meal, maybe…?"

Gaara was baffled. "You…want me to come to your house?"

Momoko nodded. "I…would very much like for you to come over to my house, Gaara-_sama_. Would you mind coming over?"

"W-would that be alright though…? What might your parents think…?" Gaara asked doubtfully.

"My parents…they're dead," Momoko whispered.

Gaara perked up in surprise at that. "What…? They're…dead…?"

The girl gave a small painful smile. "Yes. I've been alone all this time so it wouldn't matter. Would you like to come over, Gaara-_sama_?"

The boy momentarily looked at the girl in silence before he murmured, "Is it really okay with you though…?"

"Would this also be your first time going over to someone's house?" The girl inquired.

He nodded.

"Well… There's a first time for everything," Momoko said, chuckling a little. "Shall we go then?" She began to head in the direction of her house.

"O-oh…sure," Gaara murmured, jogging a little to catch up with Momoko. He took the grocery bags from the girl again, who teasingly gave him a little push and laugh. He wasn't sure how to react so he gave a small, weak half-smile. The girl was pleased as she pointed it out to him, her smile bright.

**-At Momoko's house-**

"Here we are," Momoko proclaimed as she pulled the door to her apartment open. "I'm sorry if it's a little small." She gave her guest an apologetic smile.

Gaara shook his head as he slowly went into the sunlit room, looking around him curiously. He made a quick survey of the room before he turned to look at Momoko just as she closed the door behind her. "It seems…comfortable."

The _kunoichi_ gave a small chuckle as she kicked off her sandals. "It is. I do live by myself so it's comfortable enough for me." She gestured to the small wooden four-legged table and said, "You can set the groceries down there, Gaara-_sama_."

The boy set the bags down and wandered further into the apartment. He looked at how the sunlight shone into the room from the window across the room, the cleanly made-up bed, the small shelf that stood in the opposite corner from the bed… Everything seemed so neat. He turned around and found Momoko reaching up into the cupboards, pulling down some cups before she turned to look at him. When she asked if he would like some tea, he gave a small, "Sure," before he trailed off into silence, watching her.

The girl turned around to switch the stove on before she put a kettle on to boil some water. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed how intently the red-haired boy watched her. She looked at him and inquired, "Have you ever tried making your own tea before?"

The boy was slightly baffled by the question, but shook his head. "I haven't, but I have seen other people do it… Don't you just put some leaves in the water…?"

Momoko nodded. "Yes. See?" She reached back up into one of the cupboards and pulled down a jar of dark green leaves, giving the glass object a small shake, which shuffled the leaves around in the contained space. "I love tea. It has always helped me relax."

"I see," the boy murmured. He didn't know if what she said was really true; he had never tried it himself.

A few minutes later, the kettle began to whistle. Momoko turned around and snapped the switch off, letting the whistle of the kettle ease and die down to a mere steam puffing out from the small hole that had been made on the spout's cover. Using a hand cloth, the dark-haired _kunoichi_ carried the kettle and the two cups over to the small wooden table. After setting the items down, she turned back around to grab the jar of tea leaves before she set it on the table. Gesturing to the chair opposite of her, Momoko waited for Gaara to approach the table and sit down before she sat down herself.

"Help yourself," Momoko said, hoping to encourage the boy to try putting the tea leaves into his tea cup.

Gaara reached for the jar of tea leaves, hesitating momentarily before he picked up the jar and slowly opened the top of the lid, setting it down on the table. "Um… How much…?" He asked, hesitating again as he looked up at Momoko.

"As much as you would like, but if you would like my suggestion…" Momoko carefully reached forward and slipped her slender hand into the jar, pinching a few leaves before taking her hand back out. "I think this much is always enough for a cup or two," the girl said, brandishing the amount she had grabbed to the young _shinobi_ before she dropped them into her tea cup. "And of course, we can't forget the hot water," the girl laughed as she carefully picked up the hot kettle and tipped it ever so slightly over her cup, letting the hot water pour down into her cup and over the tea leaves. "Be careful when you pour the hot water, okay?" She gave the boy a smile before she set the kettle down.

"…" Gaara reached his hand into the jar and tried to mimic how Momoko had grabbed her tea. When he withdrew his hand from the jar, he had roughly the same amount as the girl had. He showed her, a small, awkward smile tugging at his lips. "Is this… Is this enough…Momoko…?"

The girl took a brief glance then looked up into the boy's eyes and gave him a thumbs-up. "Great job, Gaara-_sama_. You did very well."

With more confident smile, the boy dropped his tea leaves into his own cup, watching as the dark green pieces fluttered to the bottom of his cup. Then, he picked up the kettle and slowly let the water run down into his cup. After it was almost full, he set the kettle down and looked at Momoko. "Now we wait."

"Yes," she replied. Resting her chin in hand, the girl said in a soft voice, "Would it be okay…if I ask you questions about yourself, Gaara-_sama_?"

Gaara looked away for a moment before he slowly turned his dark-rimmed eyes back to the girl. "…I…don't know…"

"I'll try asking a question. If…if you find it offensive, please just let me know so I know to avoid it next time," the girl suggested.

The boy gave a small, unsure nod.

"Um… What are your goals now…?" The girl wasn't sure that would be a good question to ask, but nothing seemed to be coming to mind at that moment.

Slightly taken aback at the question, the boy wasn't sure how to answer, so he remained silent. He thought it over, but still unsure, he asked the girl instead, "What about you? What are your…goals…?"

"I… I want to be able to protect the people I care about… I'd have to say that is my one biggest goal in life," Momoko replied, not offended that the boy hadn't answered. She figured he wasn't sure about how to answer and did not press on the matter.

"Protect…the people you care about…?" Gaara whispered, almost inaudible. The words the girl had spoken closely reminded him of what had happened in Konohagakure…how that one person had said almost the exact same thing to him not too long ago…

"I've never had anyone important like a mother or a father… Sometimes, when I was young and alone, crying, I'd ask myself why my parents weren't around to help me… Why did they leave me all alone. It was honestly tough, but not too long ago…" She took a breath and smiled a little as she continued, "I found people who became very important to me. I met the people in my cell. I never would have expected that." She looked up into the boy's eyes. "Are you happy with your siblings being in the same cell as you?"

Again, Gaara wasn't sure how to answer… Until recently, he had never thought of Temari or Kankuro as his siblings. He had merely considered them as possible liabilities that would hold him back and who he would have to kill if they had gotten in his way. Now though, he hadn't figured out quite yet what they really, truly meant to him. So once again, the red-haired young man stayed silent. He thought back to what Momoko had said to him earlier: "There is always a first time for everything. If you don't do one thing one day, there is always another day to do it."

As Gaara slowly became lost in his thoughts, Momoko sat back in her chair and waited patiently. She felt slightly worried that she had somehow offended the boy… She refrained herself from speaking up, from breaking into the boy's thoughts. She felt like she had to give him some time to think over the things she was asking… Heck, she didn't even know which question was okay for her to ask and which ones weren't; he hadn't told her otherwise yet.

A few minutes passed before the girl suddenly remembered their brewing tea. She picked up her tea cup and took a small sip of the tea. Still hot, but at least it didn't scald her tongue. She finally ventured to say something, "Gaara-_sama_?"

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh… Is it okay to drink now?" He picked up his tea cup and took a small sip of it. He swallowed the tea and looked at the girl. "It's very good," he said in an approving tone of voice.

The girl gave a smile. "That's good." She stood up from her chair, which made the boy suddenly stand up himself. She looked at him in confusion. "What are you doing, Gaara-_sama_? You didn't have to stand up."

"I thought you wanted me to leave or something," the boy stated simply.

Shaking her head, the girl explained, "No, no! I didn't mean that! I was just about to start cooking. While I do that, is there anything specific you would like to eat?"

The red-head responded with, "Salted tongue and gizzard."

"…" The pair stared at one another in silence. Gaara began to wonder if the girl would be willing to make him that. He was about to speak when the she spoke first.

"Sure thing. I don't often eat that, but I don't mind making it for us." She turned to the refrigerator and opened the door. "I'm sure I have some beef tongue and gizzard in here somewhere," she mumbled to herself just as she spotted the meat. She pulled out the container for the meat and turned around, holding it up proudly to Gaara. "I found it."

"That's good." The boy stood up as the girl turned to the sink and began to unpackage the meat into a clean bowl. He approached the girl.

Momoko noticed and turned to look questioningly at him. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering if I could watch you cook," Gaara replied.

"I don't mind," she laughed.

After the food had been made and their cups of tea refilled for the umpteenth time, they sat down to enjoy the meal together. "Would you like to take the first bite?" Momoko inquired, looking at Gaara curiously.

With a nod, Gaara reached forward with his chopsticks and picked up a salted tongue before taking a bite out of it. He chewed for a few seconds before he finally swallowed it. He was quiet for another few moments before he looked at her and remarked, "It's… Very good, Momoko."

"Ah, _yokatta_," [yokatta literally means "that's good"] Momoko sighed in playful relief, placing a light hand on her chest as if she had been worried, and to herself, she knew she had been the teeniest bit worried that what she had cooked wouldn't be good enough for the boy. She tried out a salted tongue herself. "Ah, yummy~" She took another bite.

Gaara watched the girl eat heartily, the questions she had been asking him earlier on his mind again. Finally, he said, "I want to become the Kazekage one day."

The girl looked at him curiously at the sudden answer. "The Kazekage? Really…?" She watched to see if there would be any facial expression changes on the boy's face, but there was none. She broke into a small smile. "That's an amazing goal, Gaara-_sama_."

A corner of the boy's lips turned in a small smile. "You think so?"

"Of course. But it does make me wonder," she rested her chin in her hand again. "What made you decide on that goal? I told you mine… I mean, if you don't mind telling me your reason. I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it or whatnot." She waited patiently for the boy to answer.

"I don't mind," the boy began. "In Konohagakure, when I went to participate in the _chuunin_ exams there, I met someone… Another person just like me. Another _Jinchuuriki_," [_Jinnchuuriki_ is a Tailed-beast's host, for those who do not know] Gaara replied. "He understand my pain and loneliness and he told me that was what had made him strong. That even though he had been alone for so long, it had not stopped him from pursuing his ambitions and he was able to meet people who cared about him." Gaara lowered his eyes to the table. "After that encounter, it just made me think about the path that I had chosen to take… That I could be just as strong as him. As Uzumaki Naruto is." He turned to look Momoko in the eyes. "That's why I want to become Kazekage."

Momoko had listened intently to the boy's story and she felt a warmth flood her chest. She felt happy that Gaara had been able to meet such a person. "I'm glad that you and him were able to meet, Gaara-_sama_. I know you that you can become strong."

"As you have become strong yourself, Momoko," Gaara remarked.

The girl felt the blood rise to her cheeks and she had the urge to avert her eyes. "I-I guess so…" She nervously tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

"As to your second question… I do regard Kankuro and Temari as my siblings now, where I did not before… So I'm glad they're in my cell," Gaara added.

"_Soudesuka_?" [_Soudesuka_ literally means "is that right?"] Momoko lowered her eyes slightly. "That makes me envious. I never had siblings I could rely on… The closest I have ever gotten to having siblings are my cellmates Haru and Hiashi." She looked back up into Gaara's eyes though with a smile. "And I'm grateful to have them in my life… Just like I'm glad I can have you as a part of my life now, too."

Gaara nodded. "I, too, am glad that we can be friends now, Momoko. I have talked about this with my brother before… He warned me about being careful around the other _shinobi_ since they might cause me harm. But I believe that I can change that image I had before."

Unconsciously, the girl reached out her hand and lightly placed it on top of Gaara's. "And I'll be here to help you, too! I believe that you can do this, Gaara-_sama_!"

"Thank you, Momoko," Gaara said. He glanced down at their hands though, unsure how to feel in that situation.

Noticing what she had done, the girl hastily pulled her hand away from his. "A-ah! _Go_-_gomen ne_… You should have told me that I had done something so silly…" Although the blush had left her cheeks just moments before, the blood came rushing back into her cheeks.

Gaara touched the hand that Momoko had held with his other hand. "No… It was something new… Your hand… Is very warm."

If Momoko could blush any harder, she probably was. "O-oh…? Is that right…?" She awkwardly picked up her bowl and began to eat again. She mumbled in between a bite, "We should eat before the food gets cold…"

"That's true," Gaara agreed as he picked up his rice bowl and chopsticks again.

The pair enjoyed the rest of dinner together, continuing on with their conversation. All the while, Momoko could not help but think about how she had held the boy's hand… Why had she unconsciously held his hand in the first place? She couldn't figure out why.

**-TBC-**

A/N: Ahhhhh! I'm finally finished with chapter 6! I'm so sorry for the wait! R&R please~ :) I'll be getting to work on chapter 7 soon~


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